The Supporting MumS (SMS) study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effectiveness and cost effectiveness of an automated text message intervention for weight management in postpartum women with overweight or obesity: the Supporting MumS Randomised Controlled Trial
IRAS ID
305557
Contact name
Michelle McKinley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN16299220
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Many women talk about pregnancy as a time when their weight started to ‘creep up’. Life becomes much busier for women when caring for a baby and going to weight loss groups may not work well for new mums. We have thought about other ways to help women lose weight after they have a baby that are more flexible such as a text message service. We carried out a small study to see if this might be a useful way to support weight loss after pregnancy. Women who recently had a baby helped us design our text messages. One hundred mums who had had a baby in the last two years received our weight management messages, or messages about child health and development, for 12 months. Women rated the messages very highly and felt they were supportive and motivating. Women receiving the weight loss messages lost more weight compared to those receiving the child health messages. We need to test this in a larger study with women from all parts of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to understand how well the messages work for everyone.
For this bigger study, we will recruit 850 women with excess weight through social media, mother and baby groups and when they are in touch with health professionals. Women will be assigned by chance to receive the weight loss text messages or text messages about child health and development for 12 months. We will measure weight and waist circumference and collect a questionnaire at the start of the study and again after 6, 12 and 24 months. We will also speak to women to see what they think of the text message service. Women will receive a token of appreciation for the time they have given to complete the research measures.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
22/WS/0003
Date of REC Opinion
24 Feb 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion