Aerobic, Strength, Kegel (ASK) Exercise Intervention Perceptions for Postpartum Health (ASK)

Aerobic, Strength, Kegel (ASK) Exercise Intervention Perceptions for Postpartum Health: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn whether a 12-week home-based exercise programme is feasible, acceptable, and safe for postpartum women in Hong Kong who had hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The exercise programme is called the Aerobic, Strength, and Kegel exercise programme, or ASK programme.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

• Can postpartum women follow the ASK exercise programme at home?
• Is the ASK exercise programme acceptable and safe?
• Does the ASK exercise programme show early benefits for postpartum recovery and health?

Researchers will compare women who receive the ASK exercise programme with women who receive standard postnatal care.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. They will complete study assessments at the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks. Women in the ASK exercise programme group will complete three 60-minute exercise sessions per week for 12 weeks, supported by a mobile app and wearable device. Women in the standard postnatal care group will continue to receive usual postnatal care.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Quality of Life; Sleep; Body Composition; Postpartum Health; Cardiometabolic Health; Physical Abilities
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: ASK Exercise Programme

Detailed Description

This is a parallel-group pilot randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and preliminary effectiveness of the ASK Programme, a 12-week home-based postpartum exercise intervention for Asian women in Hong Kong. The ASK Programme combines aerobic training, strength training, and Kegel-based pelvic floor muscle training, and is delivered through a study app with wearable-supported monitoring.

Eligible participants will be enrolled at 6 to 8 weeks postpartum and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the ASK Programme intervention group or the standard postnatal care control group. Participants in the intervention group will complete three home-based ASK exercise sessions per week for 12 weeks. Each session will include warm-up, aerobic training, strength training, pelvic floor muscle training, and cool-down. The control group will receive standard postnatal care.

Assessments will be conducted at baseline and within 1 week after completion of the 12-week intervention. The study will collect feasibility, adherence, safety, acceptability, clinical, behavioral, psychosocial, physiological, cardiometabolic, and exploratory biological data to inform the design of a future full-scale randomized controlled trial.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: LAI KWAN LAM, PhD; Phone Number: +85235054267; Email: laikwanlam@cuhk.edu.hk

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong
    • Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
      • The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University Of Hong Kong
      • Contact: YAO WANG, PhD; Phone Number: +85235051289; Email: yaowang1@cuhk.edu.hk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female Asian postpartum women aged 18 to 45 years
• Singleton pregnancy
• 6 to 8 weeks postpartum at the time of enrolment
• Medically stable after childbirth
• Physically able to participate in low-to-moderate intensity exercise training
• Able and willing to participate in the 12-week study programme
• Able to use the study app and wearable device, or willing to receive instruction on their use
• Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Multiple pregnancy
• Severe postpartum medical complications or conditions contraindicating exercise participation
• Severe cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, or major musculoskeletal conditions that may limit safe participation in exercise
• Current use of medication likely to substantially affect cardiac function, including heart failure therapy
• Antibiotic treatment within the preceding month
• Severe mental illness or other condition affecting the ability to provide informed consent or comply with study procedures
• Any medical, obstetric, or psychological condition judged by the research team or attending clinician to make participation unsafe or inappropriate
• Inability or unwillingness to adhere to the 12-week ASK programme or study assessments

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ASK Exercise Programme; Participants assigned to this arm will receive the Aerobic, Strength, and Kegel exercise programme (ASK programme) in addition to standard postnatal care. The ASK programme is a 12-week home-based, app-guided exercise intervention supported by a wearable device. Participants will be asked to complete three exercise sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 60 minutes. The programme includes aerobic exercise, strength training, and Kegel-based pelvic floor muscle training.	Other: ASK Exercise Programme; The ASK Exercise Programme is a 12-week home-based, app-guided exercise intervention supported by a wearable device. Participants will be asked to complete three sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 60 minutes. The programme includes aerobic exercise, strength training, and Kegel-based pelvic floor muscle training. The mobile app and wearable device will be used to support exercise delivery, self-monitoring, and adherence tracking.
No Intervention: Standard Postnatal Care; Participants allocated to the control group will receive standard postnatal care, including routine postpartum follow-up and general health advice. They will not receive the ASK programme during the 12-week study period. They will complete the same baseline and post-intervention assessments as participants in the intervention group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Recruitment rate to the ASK Exercise Programme	Recruitment rate will be calculated as the number of participants enrolled divided by the number of eligible participants approached. The outcome will be reported as a percentage of eligible participants approached.	From recruitment initiation to 12 weeks
Retention rate in the ASK Exercise Programme	Retention rate will be calculated as the number of enrolled participants who complete the 12-week follow-up assessment divided by the total number of enrolled participants. The outcome will be reported as a percentage of enrolled participants.	From baseline to 12 weeks
Dropout rate from the ASK Exercise Programme	Dropout rate will be calculated as the number of participants who withdraw or are lost to follow-up before the 12-week assessment divided by the total number of enrolled participants. The outcome will be reported as a percentage of enrolled participants.	From baseline to 12 weeks
Assessment completion in the ASK Exercise Programme	Assessment completion rate will be calculated as the number of completed planned study assessments divided by the total number of planned study assessments. The outcome will be reported as a percentage of planned study assessments.	From baseline to 12 weeks
Participant satisfaction rate	Participant satisfaction will be assessed using a study-specific acceptability questionnaire administered at 12 weeks. Satisfaction will be defined as reporting "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the ASK Exercise Programme. The outcome will be reported as the percentage of participants who are satisfied or very satisfied.	At 12 weeks
ASK session completion rate	ASK session completion rate will be calculated as the number of prescribed ASK exercise sessions completed divided by the total number of prescribed ASK exercise sessions during the 12-week intervention period. Session completion will be assessed using app-recorded exercise completion data. The outcome will be reported as a percentage of prescribed ASK exercise sessions.	Throughout the 12-week intervention period
Adverse events related to the ASK Exercise Programme	Safety will be assessed as the number of participants who experience one or more adverse events related to the ASK Exercise Programme during the 12-week intervention period. Adverse events and exercise-related symptoms will be collected using participant symptom reports and study adverse event records. The outcome will be reported as the number of participants with adverse events related to the ASK Exercise Programme.	Throughout the 12-week intervention period
Postpartum recovery score	Postpartum recovery will be assessed using the Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in the total Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10 score will be calculated. Total scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better postpartum recovery.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Postnatal depressive symptom score	Postnatal depressive symptoms will be assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in the total Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score will be calculated. Total scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Pelvic floor symptom distress score	Pelvic floor symptom distress will be assessed using the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in the total Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 score will be calculated. Total scores range from 0 to 300, with higher scores indicating greater pelvic floor symptom distress.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Sleep quality score	Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in the global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score will be calculated. Global scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Breastfeeding self-efficacy score	Breastfeeding self-efficacy will be assessed using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in the total Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form score will be calculated. Total scores range from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating greater breastfeeding self-efficacy.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Health-related quality of life score	Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the Short Form-12 Health Survey. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in the health-related quality of life score will be calculated. The outcome will be reported as a score on a scale, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life.	Baseline and 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body mass index	Body mass index will be calculated as body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in body mass index will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in kg/m².	Baseline and 12 weeks
Waist-hip ratio	Waist-hip ratio will be calculated as waist circumference divided by hip circumference. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in waist-hip ratio will be calculated. The outcome will be reported as a ratio.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Resting heart rate	Resting heart rate will be measured at baseline and 12 weeks. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in resting heart rate will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in beats per minute.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Systolic blood pressure	Systolic blood pressure will be measured at baseline and 12 weeks where available through home or routine clinical measurement. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in systolic blood pressure will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in mmHg.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Diastolic blood pressure	Diastolic blood pressure will be measured at baseline and 12 weeks where available through home or routine clinical measurement. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in diastolic blood pressure will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in mmHg.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Fasting glucose concentration	Fasting glucose concentration will be measured using fasting blood samples at baseline and 12 weeks. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in fasting glucose concentration will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in mmol/L.	Baseline and 12 weeks
HbA1c	HbA1c will be measured using blood samples at baseline and 12 weeks. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in HbA1c will be calculated. The outcome will be reported as a percentage.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Triglyceride concentration	Triglyceride concentration will be measured using fasting blood samples at baseline and 12 weeks. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in triglyceride concentration will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in mmol/L.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Total cholesterol concentration	Total cholesterol concentration will be measured using fasting blood samples at baseline and 12 weeks. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in total cholesterol concentration will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in mmol/L.	Baseline and 12 weeks
High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration	High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration will be measured using fasting blood samples at baseline and 12 weeks. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in mmol/L.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration	Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration will be measured using fasting blood samples at baseline and 12 weeks. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in mmol/L.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Post-exercise recovery heart rate	Cardiorespiratory fitness will be assessed using a 3-minute step test. Post-exercise recovery heart rate will be recorded after completion of the test. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in post-exercise recovery heart rate will be calculated. The outcome will be reported in beats per minute.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Daily step count	Daily step count will be recorded using wearable-derived activity data. Mean daily step count during the 12-week intervention period will be calculated. The outcome will be reported as steps per day.	Throughout the 12-week intervention period
Daily active minutes	Daily active minutes will be recorded using wearable-derived activity data. Mean daily active minutes during the 12-week intervention period will be calculated. The outcome will be reported as minutes per day.	Throughout the 12-week intervention period
Exploratory gut microbiome profile	Gut microbiome profiles will be assessed using stool samples collected at baseline and 12 weeks. Changes from baseline to 12 weeks in gut microbiome profiles will be explored, including microbial diversity and taxonomic composition, depending on sample availability and sequencing quality.	Baseline and 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Yao Wang, PhD, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 28, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 24, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): August 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 3, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 1, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pelvic floor muscle training; Pilot randomized controlled trial; Cardiometabolic health; Postpartum health; Postpartum exercise
• Other Study ID Numbers: CREC Ref. No.:2026.436

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