ArticleJMIR formative research2022
Mobile Phone App Use Among Pregnant Women in China and Associations Between App Use and Perinatal Outcomes: Retrospective Study.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Virtual-Based Prenatal Care Methods and Their Reported Outcomes-A Scoping Review.Health science reports · 2025Review
- Review
- Transforming women's health, empowerment, and gender equality with digital health: evidence-based policy and practice.The Lancet. Digital health · 2025Review
- Usability and Acceptability of a Pregnancy App for Substance Use Screening and Education: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Pilot Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- The status of intimate partner violence against pregnant women in contemporary China: a scoping review.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea) · 2024Article
- Exploring Maternal and Infant Health App Development and Effectiveness Research: Scoping Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2024Article
- Trajectories of Digital Prenatal Service Utilization and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Multitrajectory Analysis.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMaternal and child health (MCH)-related mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular among pregnant women; however, few apps have demonstrated that they lead to improvements in pregnancy outcomes.
objectiveThis study aims to investigate the use of MCH apps among pregnant women in China and explore associations with pregnancy outcomes.
methodsA retrospective study was conducted at 6 MCH hospitals in northern China. Women who delivered a singleton baby at >28 weeks' gestation at the study hospitals were sequentially recruited from postnatal wards from October 2017 to January 2018. Information was collected on the women's self-reported MCH app use during their pregnancy, along with clinical outcomes. Women were categorized as nonusers of MCH apps and users (further divided into intermittent users and continuous users). The primary outcome was a composite adverse pregnancy outcome (CAPO) comprising preterm birth, birth weight <2500 g, birth defects, stillbirth, and neonatal asphyxia. The association between app use and CAPO was explored using multivariable logistic analysis.
resultsThe 1850 participants reported using 127 different MCH apps during pregnancy. App use frequency was reported as never, 24.7% (457/1850); intermittent, 47.4% (876/1850); and continuous, 27.9% (517/1850). Among app users, the most common reasons for app use were health education (1393/1393, 100%), self-monitoring (755/1393, 54.2%), and antenatal appointment reminders (602/1393, 43.2%). Nonusers were older, with fewer years of education, lower incomes, and higher parity (P<.01). No association was found between any app use and CAPO (6.8% in nonusers compared with 6.3% in any app users; odds ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.48-1.25).
conclusionsWomen in China access a large number of different MCH apps, with social disparities in access and frequency of use. Any app use was not found to be associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, highlighting the need for rigorous development and testing of apps before recommendation for use in clinical settings.
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Registered trials
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