Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41442705›Full record

ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2025

Smartphone App-Based Exercise for Pregnant Women in Indonesia: Quasi-Experimental Study on Physical Activity, Fear of Childbirth, and Quality of Life.

Dewi Marfuah, Tukimin Bin Sansuwito, Rathimalar Ayakannu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Dewi Marfuah *Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Keperawatan Persatuan Perawat Nasional Indonesia (PPNI) Jawa Barat, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia.ORCID 0000-0002-9114-4661
Tukimin Bin SansuwitoFaculty of Nursing and Allied Health, Lincoln University College, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0001-7323-4308
Rathimalar Ayakannu *Faculty of Nursing and Allied Health, Lincoln University College, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0002-9146-8287

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPregnancy, a vital phase in a woman's life, entails immense physical, psychological, and emotional alterations that might affect maternal health. Physical activity during pregnancy improves health outcomes; however, adherence to the recommendation is low. Moreover, fear of childbirth (FoC) has a negative impact on maternal mental health and quality of life (QoL). Mobile health (mHealth) interventions, especially those delivered through smartphone-based exercise management apps, provide a scalable solution to improve maternal health outcomes.

objectiveThis study aims to assess the impact of an exercise management intervention based on a smartphone app on physical activity, FoC, and QoL in pregnant women in Indonesia.

methodsWe used a quasi-experimental design with repeated measures, conducted at public health centers in West Java, Indonesia. A total of 240 pregnant women were recruited through convenience sampling and allocated to either an intervention group (n=120), which received a smartphone app-based exercise and behavioral program, or a control group (n=120), which received standard prenatal care. Data were collected at 3 time points: baseline measurement (T0), postintervention measurement (T1), and 1-month follow-up measurement (T2). The intervention targeted improvements in physical activity, reduction of FoC, and enhancement of QoL. Validated instruments were used to assess outcomes, including the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ), the Wijma Delivery Expectation Questionnaire Version A (WDEQ-A), and the Quality-of-Life Gravidarum (QOL-GRAV) scale. Statistical analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests, and effect sizes were calculated using Cohen d.

resultsThe intervention group had significant increases in physical activity levels from T0 to T1 (Cohen d=0.65; P<.001) and from T0 to T2 (Cohen d=0.72, P<.001), whereas there were no significant changes in the control group. FoC scores were significantly lower at T1 (Cohen d=0.52; P<.001) and T2 (Cohen d=0.56; P<.001) compared to T0 in the intervention group, but no changes were observed in the control group. QoL scores increased significantly in the intervention group from T0 to T1 (Cohen d=0.60; P<.001) and from T0 to T2 (Cohen d=0.68; P<.001), while there were no significant changes noted in the control group.

conclusionsThe exercise management intervention using the smartphone app was effective in increasing physical activity, reducing FoC, and improving QoL among pregnant women in Indonesia. The intervention represents a scalable and accessible mechanism through which maternal health can be improved in limited-resource contexts. Large-scale, long-term studies are needed to evaluate the sustainability of the benefits observed and the incorporation of mHealth solutions in standard prenatal management.

Indexed as

ExerciseFearMobile ApplicationsParturitionPregnant PeopleQuality of LifeAdultFemaleHumansIndonesiaPregnancyPsychometricsSmartphoneSurveys and QuestionnairesTelemedicinefear of childbirthmobile healthphysical activitypregnancyquality of lifesmartphone app

Identifiers

PMID41442705
PMCPMC12780703

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.