Effectiveness of Digital Interventions for Preventing Alcohol Consumption in Pregnancy: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Sarah Soyeon Oh; Jong Youn Moon; Doukyoung Chon; Carol Mita; Jourdyn A Lawrence; Eun-Cheol Park; Ichiro Kawachi

doi:10.2196/35554

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Effectiveness of Digital Interventions for Preventing Alcohol Consumption in Pregnancy: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Authors: Sarah Soyeon Oh ; Jong Youn Moon ; Doukyoung Chon ; Carol Mita ; Jourdyn A Lawrence ; Eun-Cheol Park ; Ichiro Kawachi

Citation: JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH, Vol.24(4) : e35554, 2022-04

Journal Title: JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH

ISSN: 1439-4456

Issue Date: 2022-04

MeSH: Alcohol Drinking / prevention & control ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Care ; Smoking Cessation* ; Text Messaging*

Keywords: alcohol ; alcohol consumption ; computer-based intervention ; digital health ; digital intervention ; fetal alcohol spectrum disorders ; fetal alcohol syndrome ; internet-based intervention ; mHealth ; meta-analysis ; mobile health ; mother ; pregnancy ; systematic review ; text message ; text messaging

Abstract: Background: Alcohol consumption in pregnancy has been associated with serious fetal health risks and maternal complications. While previous systematic reviews of digital interventions during pregnancy have targeted smoking cessation and flu vaccine uptake, few studies have sought to evaluate their effectiveness in preventing alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Objective: This systematic review aims to assess (1) whether digital interventions are effective in preventing alcohol consumption during the pregnancy/pregnancy-planning period, and (2) the differential effectiveness of alternative digital intervention platforms (ie, computers, mobiles, and text messaging services).

Methods: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched for studies with digital interventions aiming to prevent alcohol consumption among pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant. A random effects primary meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the combined effect size and extent to which different digital platforms were successful in preventing alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

Results: Six studies were identified and included in the final review. The primary meta-analysis produced a sample-weighted odds ratio (OR) of 0.62 (95% CI 0.42-0.91; P=.02) in favor of digital interventions decreasing the risk of alcohol consumption during pregnancy when compared to controls. Computer/internet-based interventions (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.93) were an effective platform for preventing alcohol consumption. Too few studies of text messaging (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.29-2.52) were available to draw a conclusion.

Conclusions: Overall, our review highlights the potential for digital interventions to prevent alcohol consumption among pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant. Considering the advantages of digital interventions in promoting healthy behavioral changes, future research is necessary to understand how certain platforms may increase user engagement and intervention effectiveness to prevent women from consuming alcohol during their pregnancies.