Digital health's influence on the association between birth preference and vaginal birth

Background

Women's preferred mode of birth during pregnancy is predictive of their actual mode of birth. Digital prenatal care services are a promising method for educating women on mode of birth to reduce elective cesareans. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of digital health on the association between birth preference and mode of birth.

Methods

Data come from 5409 pregnant women enrolled in a digital platform for women's and family health. Multi-trajectory modeling identified trajectories of digital health usage throughout pregnancy. Adjusted logistic regression models tested associations between birth preferences and mode of birth. The modifying effect of digital health usage on the association between birth preference and mode of birth was assessed on the multiplicative scale.

Results

Four distinct trajectories of digital service usage were identified and labeled as: (1) baseline users (52%): the reference group; (2) just-in timers (16%): high usage during the third trimester; (3) learners (26%): high educational resource usage (e.g., articles and classes) throughout pregnancy; and (4) super users (6%): high usage of both education and care resources throughout pregnancy. Overall, preferred mode of birth at enrollment was predictive of actual mode of birth; however, digital health usage moderated this association, whereby super users and learners who preferred a cesarean at enrollment were more likely to deliver vaginally, compared to baseline users who preferred a cesarean.

Conclusion

For the increasing proportion of women considering an elective cesarean, education through a prenatal digital health platform may help to encourage vaginal birth and reduce cesarean births.