Effectiveness of Web-Based Interventions on Clinical Outcomes and Lifestyle Modifications in Women Planning to Conceive: A Systematic Review

TL;DR

This study reviews web-based tools to help women planning to conceive improve their health, finding some benefits but calling for more research.

Contribution

The paper systematically evaluates the effectiveness of web-based interventions for preconception health behaviors.

Findings

Web-based interventions improved systolic blood pressure, serum folate levels, and physical activity.

No significant effects were observed on dietary habits, BMI, or mental health outcomes.

The study highlights the need for higher-quality research on broader health outcomes.

Abstract

Purpose: to identify evidence on the effectiveness of web-based interventions for lifestyle modification among women or couples of reproductive ages wishing to conceive. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in February 2023 across CENTRAL, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Emcare, ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO ICTRP. Data from four randomized controlled trials involving 1965 preconception women were narratively synthesized following risk of bias assessment. Interventions included a web-based conversational agent system, an email-based mobile service, and a mobile app providing lifestyle-related information. Results: Despite diverse assessment tools, benefits were observed for systolic blood pressure, serum folate levels, and physical activity. However, no significant effects were found for intake of vegetables and fruit, folic acid supplementation, smoking, alcohol consumption, waist circumference, weight, BMI, overweight status, HbA1c, total cholesterol, HDL, stress, depression, anxiety, or pregnancy outcomes. Conclusions: Web-based interventions show potential in improving certain health behaviors among preconception women. Further high-quality studies are needed to assess their effectiveness on a broader range of outcomes, including dietary habits, physical activity, and substance use, and to inform their integration into preconception care strategies. Registration: We registered the study protocol with PROSPERO (CRD42023488277).

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