Development, feasibility and preliminary testing of a walk-talk mobile phone-based physical activity intervention in pregnancy; full and fit mama study

Abstract Background Telerehabilitation is recommended as an effective means to promote physical activity PA engagement in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to develop and test the feasibility of a mobile phone-based PA intervention in Nigerian pregnancy. Methods This three-phase study included: (1) app development using a three-round modified Delphi approach with seven stakeholders (two obstetrics and gynaecology consultants, two nurses, two physiotherapists, and one pregnant woman); (2) feasibility testing using a cross-sectional survey with 40 pregnant women; and (3) pilot testing using a quasi-experimental design with 40 pregnant women randomized into intervention ( n = 20) and control ( n = 20) groups. The application consisted a six-minute walk-talk PA conducted for 30 min. For feasibility testing, 40 pregnant women evaluated the app using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). For pilot testing, 40 pregnant women were randomized into intervention ( n = 20, receiving the mobile app plus routine antenatal care) and control ( n = 20, receiving routine antenatal care only) groups. Results The mean age of the participants was 29.4 ± 4.28 years. The application has a high usability rating 75%. The most rated attributes of the App were intention to use 80%, ease of learning to use 78%, integration of App function 75%, ease of use 75% and confidence about the use of the App 75% based on SUS. Functionality 14.70 ± 2.77 / 20 and App subjective quality 15.00 ± 3.6 / 20 were the most rated qualities of the App. The total App quality rating was 82.6 ± 14.74 out of 115 possible points based on MARS, indicating high quality. Conclusion This feasibility and pilot study demonstrates that a mobile phone-based six-minute walk-talk PA app has high usability, acceptable quality, and excellent acceptability among urban, educated Nigerian pregnant women.