SynthesisBMC pregnancy and childbirth2021
Comprehensively addressing postpartum maternal health: a content and image review of commercially available mobile health apps.
Synthesis in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed.
- Moderators, mediators, and components of a standalone smartphone application for postpartum depression: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Trial
- Designing Rosie the Chatbot with and for Pregnant and New Mothers of Color: a Community-Engaged Study Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Prevention Science to Improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2026Article
- Maternal mHealth usability strengthened by trust, governance, and navigation.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Living well? The unintended consequences of highly popular commercial fitness apps through social listening using Machine-Assisted Topic Analysis: Evidence from X.British journal of health psychology · 2025Article
- Effects of lifestyle intervention by a nurse-led app on the prevention of symptoms in postpartum women: a randomized controlled trial.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Evaluation scale and behavioral model construction for intention to use postpartum exercise rehabilitation mobile application based on user experience.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Applying authoritative knowledge to better understand preparation for breastfeeding.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Article
- Examining the Perceptions of mHealth on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum Health for Black Women: A Scoping Review.Health promotion practice · 2024Article
- Bibliometric Analysis on of the Impact of Screening to Minimize Maternal Mental Health on Neonatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Quality assessment of mobile applications on postpartum hemorrhage management.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2024Article
- I am Lifted Above the World: utilizing VR for stress reduction among perinatal women of color.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- A Web-Based Intervention to Address Risk Factors for Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (MAMA LOVE): Development and Evaluation Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2023Article
- Reducing Maternal Mortality Rates in Alabama Through Patient Education: A Scoping Review.Cureus · 2023Article
- Are Mobile Applications in Laryngology Designed for All Patients?The Laryngoscope · 2023Review
- Features, Design, and Adherence to Evidence-Based Behavioral Parenting Principles in Commercial mHealth Parenting Apps: Systematic Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2023Article
- The Power and Promise of Postpartum Self Care: Evaluation of a Web-Based Tool for Underserved Women.Maternal and child health journal · 2023Article
- Technology-Based Approaches for Supporting Perinatal Mental Health.Current psychiatry reports · 2022Review
- Translational Bioinformatics to Enable Precision Medicine for All: Elevating Equity across Molecular, Clinical, and Digital Realms.Yearbook of medical informatics · 2022Review
- Consumer acceptance of using a digital technology to manage postpartum depression.Frontiers in global women's health · 2022Article
- Effects of Mobile Application Program (App)-Assisted Health Education on Preventive Behaviors and Cancer Literacy among Women with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe United States is currently facing a maternal morbidity and mortality crisis, with the highest rates of any resource-rich nation. In efforts to address this, new guidelines for postpartum care suggest that mobile health (mHealth) apps can help provide complementary clinical support for new mothers during the postpartum period. However, to date no study has evaluated the quality of existing mHealth tools targeted to this time period in terms of sufficiency of maternal health information, inclusivity of people of color, and app usability.
methodsPreferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards were used to review the peripartum apps from the Apple and Google Play stores in either the Health/Fitness, Medical, or Education categories. Apps were evaluated for extent and quality of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color using an a priori coding scheme. App usability was evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) score.
resultsOf the 301 apps from the Apple and Google Play stores, 25 met criteria for final evaluation. Of the 30 maternal health topics coded for, the median number addressed by apps was 19.5 (65%). Peripartum behaviors were more frequently addressed than peripartum outpatient care topics and peripartum acute health risks. The coverage of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color in app imagery both correlated positively with the MARS usability score of the app. Only 8 apps (32%) portrayed greater than 24% images of people of color- the percent of non-white Americans according to 2019 census estimates. There was no correlation between MARS usability score and number of app users, as estimated by number of ratings for the app available on the app store. In addition, apps with evidence-based maternal health information had greater MARS engagement, information, and aesthetics scores. However, presence of evidence-based information did not correlate with greater numbers of app users.
conclusionsCurrent commercially available peripartum apps range widely in quality. Overall current app offerings generally do not provide adequate maternal health information and are not optimally accessible to the target users in terms of inclusivity of women of color or app usability. Apps delivering evidence-based information and more usable design are more likely to meet these standards but are not more likely to be downloaded by users.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.