Postpartum Wellness (POW)

July 31, 2025 updated by: Kaiser Permanente

Preventing Postpartum Depression: Exercise as Medicine

The purpose of this study is to test whether a web-based (eHealth) exercise intervention for new moms at increased risk for postpartum depression increases physical activity and decreases postpartum depression symptoms.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Postpartum depression is a debilitating and costly condition that is associated with significant health consequences for mothers and children. Counseling for prevention of postpartum depression is currently recommended in women at high risk of postpartum depression; however, there is a shortage of mental health care providers. There is a need for effective interventions to prevent postpartum depression that can be easily integrated into health care systems, yet do not involve intense health care system resources. eHealth interventions are promising in this regard.

Strong evidence suggests physical activity can reduce depression risk. This study will assess the effectiveness of an eHealth exercise intervention tailored to postpartum mothers for increasing physical activity levels and improving depressive symptoms in women at increased risk of postpartum depression. This intervention addresses several identified barriers to physical activity in postpartum women. The study will randomize 200 women to receive an eHealth exercise intervention for postpartum women or usual postpartum care. Device-based physical activity and depressive symptoms will be measured at 3 and 6 months after randomization.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
99

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Oakland, California, United States, 94612
        • Division of Research

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • KPNC member between 2 and 6 months postpartum
  • Current PHQ-8 score between 10-20 and no current depression diagnosis
  • Delivered baby in KPNC
  • English-speaking
  • Own a smartphone, computer, or TV with internet access
  • Free of a heart condition and a physician recommending medically supervised physical activity
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 40 (kg/m2)
  • A baby weighing between 11-22 lbs

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Engaged in regular, moderate or vigorous physical activity >90 minutes or more per week
  • Pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the ensuing three months
  • A baby with chronic illness/disorder(s) that prevent participant from holding or lifting him/her
  • Chest pain during physical activity, or has had chest pain within the prior month
  • Taking medication for hypertension or a heart condition
  • Tendency to fall due to syncope or dizziness
  • Orthopedic problems that might be aggravated by physical activity
  • Has exercise-induced asthma

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intervention
Participants will be asked to use a web-based (eHealth) exercise intervention for 3 months. This eHealth exercise intervention includes over 90, 10-minute exercise videos with options for exercise type, time, and intensity, customized to the weight of the infant. Users can either select up to three 10-minute videos to create a 10 to 30-minute workout or choose a 'Ready Made' workout that is either 10, 20, or 30-minutes long.
Behavioral: Exercise intervention
eHealth exercise intervention for postpartum women at increased risk of depression
No Intervention: Usual Care
Participants in the usual care condition will follow their usual standard care as suggested by their provider. Participants will complete the same assessments and incentives as the active intervention but will not receive the eHealth exercise intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Depression Symptoms
Time Frame: 3 months

Continuous measure of depressive symptoms as assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8).

PHQ-8 scores range from 0-24. A score of 1-4 suggests minimal depression, 5-9 mild depression, 10-14 moderate depression, 15-19 moderately severe depression and 20-24 severe depression.
3 months
Device-Measured Physical Activity
Time Frame: 3 months
Actigraph-measured minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-reported Physical Activity
Time Frame: 3 months
Self-reported moderate/vigorous physical activity
3 months
Device-measured Physical Activity
Time Frame: 6 months
Actigraph-measured minutes of moderate/vigorous physical
6 months
Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: 6 months

Continuous measure of depressive symptoms as assessed in the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8).

PHQ-8 scores range from 0-24. A score of 1-4 suggests minimal depression, 5-9 mild depression, 10-14 moderate depression, 15-19 moderately severe depression and 20-24 severe depression.
6 months
Self-reported Physical Activity
Time Frame: 6 months
Self-reported moderate/vigorous physical activity
6 months

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sleep
Time Frame: 3 months

Sleep quality measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) asks about sleep quality during the past month, including questions on sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and use of sleep-inducing medications. A global score, ranging from 0 to 21, is calculated using seven components of sleep. Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality.
3 months
Mother-infant Bonding
Time Frame: 3 months

The Mother Infant Bonding Scale will be used to assess mother-infant bonding.

Mother Infant Bonding Scale scores range from 0-24. Higher scores indicate worse mother-infant bonding.
3 months
Anxiety
Time Frame: 3 months

The General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) will be used to assess anxiety.

GAD-7 scores range from 0-21. A score of 1-4 suggests minimal anxiety, 5-9 mild anxiety, 10-14 moderate anxiety, and 15-21 severe anxiety.
3 months
Stress
Time Frame: 3 months

Perceived stress will be measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).

PSS-10 scores range from 0-40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress. A score of 0-13 suggests low stress, 14-26 moderate stress, and 27-40 high perceived stress.
3 months
Infant Development
Time Frame: At 12 months old

Ages and Stages questionnaire for 12-month-old infants.

The ASQ-3 screens for delays in infant and child development in five domains: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal adaptive skills. Scores for each of the five domains range from 0-60 with higher scores indicating typical development.
At 12 months old

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Kaiser Permanente

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Lyndsay Avalos, PhD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 19, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 13, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 1, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 1, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 4, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 17, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 31, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1548855

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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