JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The identification of interconnected health risks during the perinatal period offers an opportunity to prevent negative maternal and infant health outcomes. Marijuana, opioid, and other substance use during pregnancy is a rapidly growing public health concern with significant and costly health consequences for the woman and the developing fetus. Pregnant persons who misuse substances are disproportionately more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors resulting in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which are on the rise in this population and can lead to adverse maternal health effects and on fetal development.

Objective:

We are currently testing an innovative and low-cost technology-delivered intervention, the Health Check-Up for Expectant Moms (HCEM), which simultaneously targets alcohol/drug use and STI risk during pregnancy, both on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

We describe the ways in which we have adapted the web-based HCEM to continue recruitment and study enrollment during the pandemic.

Results:

Study recruitment, visits, and participant safety assessments were all successfully modified during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to in-person recruitment (pre-pandemic), remote recruitment yielded a greater majority of women enrolled in the study (61% vs 83%) in a shorter period (12 months vs 7 months).

Conclusions:

Despite study challenges related to the pandemic, including time and efforts adapting to a remote protocol, remote recruitment and visits for this study was found to be a successful approach. Clinical Trial: Trial Registration: NCT03826342