Women With Preeclampsia Can Benefit From Targeted App-Based Intervention

A recent study published in BMC Women’s Health found that for app-based cardiovascular health interventions for women with severe preeclampsia to be well-received and successful, they should target factors such as fat intake, sugar intake, and physical activity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preeclampsia is when women develop high blood pressure and protein in their urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The condition often occurs among women with chronic hypertension. The CDC also noted that this condition occurs in about one in 25 pregnancies in the US. The press release also noted that women with severe preeclampsia are at higher risk for cardiovascular diseases later in life.

Considering this, researchers aimed to determine the needs and preferences of women regarding app-based cardiovascular health promotion. 

The study consisted of 35 patients from the Follow-Up PreEClampsia Outpatient Clinic (FUPEC), Erasmus MC, in the Netherlands. Among this population, the median age was 35 years. In addition, 54 percent of women had one child, 80 percent lived with a partner, 80 percent were highly educated, and 80 percent were in paid employment.

The outcomes that researchers considered to determine the effectiveness of the approach were women’s needs for health behavior promotion and whether they had any preferences regarding intervention delivery.

Researchers identified several factors that make it hard for women to maintain a healthy lifestyle. These included fat and sugar intake (43 percent), physical activity (31 percent), water intake (20 percent), mental well-being (17 percent), salt intake (15 percent), alcohol use (11 percent), fruit and vegetable intake (6 percent) and tobacco use (6 percent).

Further, the number of women who claimed they plan to make positive changes and are interested in an app-based intervention exceeded those who reported personal struggles with health behaviors.

Regarding patient preferences for delivery, researchers observed five themes for preferred intervention delivery. These included the tracking of health-related metrics (89 percent), interactivity (74 percent), behavior change strategy (69 percent), information (57 percent), and personalization (54 percent).

Based on these results, researchers concluded that considering the relevance and applicability of app-based cardiovascular health promotion targeting women with severe preeclampsia is important. When using app-based interventions to treat this condition, they are most likely to succeed and be well-received if they target fat and sugar intake, as well as physical activity.

Recently, various organizations have added virtual services to increase access to maternal healthcare.

In August, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan announced plans to work with Maven Clinic to offer a virtual maternity care program that includes services related to parenthood, pregnancy, postpartum, and pediatrics. The focus on maternal healthcare is growing, mainly since the US has a high maternal mortality rate compared with other similarly resourced countries.

Per the partnership, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Maven Clinic aim to increase access to maternal healthcare services through a digital family health platform, which includes a digital care app.