Rationale, Design, and Methods for the Sedentary Behavior Reduction in Pregnancy Intervention (SPRING): Protocol for a Pilot and Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) identify cardiovascular disease risk, but few effective interventions are available. High sedentary behavior (SED) has recently been associated with APOs, but very few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have tested SED reduction in pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: The Sedentary Behavior Reduction in Pregnancy Intervention (SPRING) pilot and feasibility RCT addresses this gap by testing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary pregnancy health effects of an intervention to reduce SED in pregnant women. The objective of this manuscript is to describe the rationale and design of SPRING. METHODS: Pregnant participants (n=53) in their first trimester, who are at risk for high SED and APO and without contraindications, are randomized in a 2:1 ratio to an intervention or control group. SED (primary outcome) and standing durations, and steps per day, are measured objectively in each trimester for 1 week with a thigh-mounted activPAL3 accelerometer. SPRING also seeks to demonstrate feasibility and acceptability while estimating preliminary effects on maternal-fetal health outcomes assessed during study visits and abstracted from medical records. The pregnancy-customized intervention promotes daily behavioral targets of less than 9 hours of SED and at least 7500 steps, achieved via increased standing and incorporating light-intensity movement breaks each hour. The multicomponent intervention provides a height-adjustable workstation, a wearable activity monitor, behavioral counseling every 2 weeks (through videoconference), and membership in a private social media group. Herein, we review the rationale, describe recruitment and screening processes, and detail the intervention, assessment protocols, and planned statistical analyses. RESULTS: This study was funded by the American Heart Association (20TPA3549099), with a funding period of January 1, 2021, and until December 31, 2023. Institutional review board approval was obtained on February 24, 2021. Participants were randomized between October 2021 and September 2022, with final data collection planned for May 2023. Analyses and submission of results are expected for winter of 2023. CONCLUSIONS: The SPRING RCT will provide initial evidence on the feasibility and acceptability of an SED-reduction intervention to decrease SED in pregnant women. These data will inform the design of a large clinical trial testing SED reduction as a strategy to reduce APO risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClincialTrials.gov NCT05093842; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05093842 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/48228