Perceived willingness-to-use and acceptability of wearable technology for promoting physical activity for prevention of obstetrics-related venous thromboembolism in Nigerian pregnant women

Abstract Background Obstetrics-related Venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been identified as one of the potential risk factors of morbidity and mortality in women of child-bearing age. Physical activity (PA) is a proven preventive measure for VTE, however, pregnant and postpartum women face significant barriers to maintaining PA. Introducing facilitators of PA adherence such as wearable devices (WD) have been reportedly yielding positive outcomes. This work investigated the perceived willingness-to-use and acceptability of Wearable Technology (WT) for promoting PA in pregnant and postpartum women in Enugu, Nigeria. Methods This study is reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. The study utilized an analytical cross-sectional descriptive research design with the population comprised of pregnant and postpartum women attending both antenatal and postnatal clinics at Enugu State Teaching Hospital Parklane (ESUTHP) Enugu State, Nigeria. A validated researcher-developed questionnaire was used to explore participants’ knowledge, perceptions, willingness-to-use, acceptability and perceived barriers to adoption of WT. Results A high interest in owning a WD was recorded (87%) with a majority (89%) willing to adopt the devices if provided to them for free. High cost (43%), lack of understanding of usability (28%), and charging difficulties (51%) were the most reported perceived barriers of WT adoption. Most (87%) of the participants were willing to share their personal data on WD while only 42% expressed concerns about privacy. Conclusion WT is perceived as a promising tool to enhance PA and potentially prevent obstetrics-related VTE among Nigerian women. However, adoption is contingent on addressing key economic, educational, and technical barriers.