Sugar Text: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Text Message Intervention for Women With Diabetes in Pregnancy

University of Pennsylvania

Status: Completed

Conditions: Gestational Diabetes; Texting Interventions; Diabetes in Pregnancy

Treatments: Behavioral: Text Message Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01973374

817181

Details and patient eligibility

About

Maternal diabetes in pregnancy can negatively impact fetal well-being and contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Much of the morbidity associated with diabetes in pregnancy can be minimized with tight glucose control. A number of studies in non-pregnant populations have highlighted the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of text messaging interventions for improving diabetic compliance and control. This study will investigate whether a text messaging intervention is feasible and effective in an urban, diabetic, obstetric clinic and whether this intervention can improve compliance with diabetes care, glucose control and pregnancy outcomes. The study will also assess satisfaction with the intervention itself.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Pregnant women aged 18-50 years
• Planned delivery at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Exclusion criteria

• Gestational age greater than 34 weeks at initial visit in the Penn Perinatal Diabetes Program
• Women who are unable to read English as all text messages will be in English
• Women who do not have a cellular phone capable of receiving text messages as this is the study intervention

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Routine Care

No Intervention group

Text Message Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The text message intervention group receives usual prenatal and diabetic care in addition to two text messages per week throughout the pregnancy and a reminder text message prior to the postpartum visit. The text message intervention group also fills out a survey about the intervention after delivery.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Text Message Intervention