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RecruitingNCT07272824Hope-D_UseUpdated Dec 23, 2025

Usability Study of Gestational and Postpartum Weight Management Program

An observational study in Pregnancy, Postpartum and Obese Pregnant Women, sponsored by Turku University Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Finland. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 50 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-23.

Sponsored by Turku University Hospital · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jan 2026, 8 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Dec 2025; still recruiting 9 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
30
Ages
18 Years to 50 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

The principal aim of this study is to evaluate the usability of the Hope-D gestational and 6 months postpartum weight management program. We will evaluate the usability, functionality, and acceptability of the developed Hope-D weight management program that includes digital pathway for weight management, general or individual weight management plan and individual or group coaching for weight management from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum.

Read the detailed description

The usability of the digital pathway will be evaluated through a one-week user test among up to 30 pregnant women, who have prepregnancy BMI at least 30 kg/m2.

Participants will use the Health Village digital pathway for gestational and 6 months postpartum weight management, after which they will take part in semi-structured interviews conducted via Microsoft Teams and complete the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire assessing perceived acceptability and usability.

All interviews will be audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed qualitatively.

Participants will report whether they accessed the pathway via mobile phone or computer and evaluate the technical usability, including ease of login, fluency of navigation, functionality of links, and the overall visual design.

The content of the digital pathway will be assessed in terms of relevance, usefulness, completeness, and clarity. Participants will be asked whether all key topics were covered, which elements were most beneficial or motivating, and whether the content was appropriate for both the gestational and postpartum periods.

All participants will provide feedback on the weight management plan. Participants will review the general plan and the individual plan. Feedback will address the perceived suitability of the plan to support gestational and postpartum weight management, appropriateness of the six-month postpartum evaluation point, and the feasibility of presenting the plan in the digital maternity card.

All participants will evaluate the group coaching component. After reviewing the session themes, they will assess the added value of group coaching, appropriateness of session content and timing, complementarity to standard care, and preferences for individual coaching.

Similarly, participants will evaluate the individual coaching component, assessing its added value, appropriateness of content and timing, complementarity to standard care, and potential preference for group-based coaching.

02

Conditions studied

  • Pregnancy
  • Postpartum
  • Obese Pregnant Women
  • Weight Management
  • Digital Intervention
  • Usability

Keywords

  • Hope-D
  • digital pathway
  • Gestational weight management
  • Postpartum weight management
  • gestational weight management plan
  • coaching
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Turku University Hospital is the lead sponsor of 280 studies on the registry; 65 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 50 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

Pregnant women in the wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland, Turku area

Inclusion criteria

  • General pregnant women with prepregnancy BMI at least 30 kg/m2
  • Competence in using the digital care pathway and electronic maternity card

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

- Significant difficulty in cooperating (e.g. inadequate Finnish language skills)

05

Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Usability of digital pathway, general/individual weight management plan and group/individual coachin

    The participants will evaluate the digital pathway with a general and an individual gestational and 6 months postpartum weight management plan and group as well as individual coaching provided by a trained study nurse.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. The basic version of Hope-D program has been developed

    The aim of the Hope-D program is to develop a standardized model for gestational and postpartum weight management. The basic version of the Hope-D program will be considered ready for implementation in the subsequent intervention study once all sections of the System Usability Scale (SUS) reach a score above 68 within the same development period (sprint). The SUS is a widely used, reliable, and valid instrument for evaluating the usability of various technologies, including digital products, systems, and services. It comprises ten statements rated on a five-point Likert scale, where 1 indicates strong disagreement and 5 indicates strong agreement. The total SUS score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better perceived usability. The SUS questionnaire has been translated into Finnish and is available for use free of charge.

    Time frame: 1 week

Secondary outcomes

  1. Usability of gestational and postpartum digital pathway for weight management

    General technical questions will address the usability aspects and general thematic questions, e.g., motivation to manage weight during and after pregnancy with a digital pathway for weight management. Participants' responses will provide qualitative insights to guide the further development of the Hope-D program. The responses will not be quantitatively scored, as there are no right or wrong answers. Instead, the data will be analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Themes and issues that emerge most frequently across interviews will be considered the most relevant usability concerns and will be given higher priority in the development guidelines than those mentioned only occasionally.

    Time frame: 1 week

  2. Usability of gestational and postpartum general and individual weight management plan

    The general interview questions focus on the visibility and relevance of the weight management plan, the types of support perceived as motivational, clarity of goal-setting, and the appropriate timing for initiating and continuing weight management during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Participants' responses will inform the development of the Hope-D application. The data will be analyzed qualitatively; responses will not be scaled or scored, and there are no right or wrong answers. Recurring themes identified across multiple interviews will be considered indicative of common needs and prioritized accordingly in the development of the application guidelines. Themes mentioned in single interviews will also be noted but will receive lower priority in the guideline development process.

    Time frame: one week

  3. Usability of group and individual coaching sessions

    The general interview questions explore whether group or individual coaching sessions add value to the digital pathway for weight management and general weight management plan. Themes include the perceived usefulness of coaching, optimal number and spacing of sessions, and the suitability of specific topics for either individual or group coaching formats. The answers of participants give investigators the guidelines for the development of Hope-D application. The answers themselves won't be scored; there aren't wrong or correct answers. Answers which repeat most commonly in the interviews are the most common issues and they will have higher priority in the guideline than answers which arise only in one interview.

    Time frame: one week

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • The wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland
    Turku, Finland, Finland
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — EU GDPR restricts data sharing

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 23, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07272824
Lead sponsor
Turku University Hospital
Collaborators
Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, University of Turku, University of Helsinki
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 9, 2025
Start date
Dec 9, 2025
Primary completion
Jan 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 31, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Dec 23, 2025

Study contacts

Leila Varakas, PhD student
Contact
leila.varakas@varha.fi
+358505213354
Saila Koivusalo, sci leader
Contact
saila.koivusalo@hus.fi
+358407250620
Kaarin Mäkikallio
study director · The wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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