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Could group checkups for pregnant women reduce preterm births?

NCT ID NCT03673709

Prevention Sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 13, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study compares group antenatal care to standard individual care for pregnant women in Malawi. In group care, women of similar pregnancy stage meet together for a two-hour visit that includes self-checks, a brief private consultation, and interactive health education. The goal is to see if this approach reduces preterm births (measured by low birth weight) and increases HIV testing among partners. The trial involves about 1,900 women across seven clinics in Blantyre District.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Group antenatal care (behavioral intervention)
What this could lead to
If effective, this group care model could reduce preterm births and improve HIV testing among partners, potentially saving lives and influencing health policy in low-resource settings.
What could go wrong
The trial is conducted in a specific region (Malawi) and may not generalize to other settings. Results depend on implementation fidelity, and the primary outcome uses birth weight as a proxy for preterm birth, which may introduce inaccuracy.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

1,887 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2019

Finished

May 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

15 years and older

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Pregnant, 24 weeks gestation or less, no marked cognitive impairment, speaks and understands Chichewa (the national language) Exclusion Criteria: * Not pregnant, more than 24 weeks gestation, marked cognitive impairment, does not speak or understand Chichewa (the national language)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Premature Birth

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Premature birth

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Bangwe HC

    Blantyre, Malawi

  • Chileka HC

    Blantyre, Malawi

  • Chilomoni HC

    Blantyre, Malawi

  • Limbe HC

    Blantyre, Malawi

  • Lirangwe HC

    Blantyre, Malawi

  • Madziabango HC

    Blantyre, Malawi

  • Ndirande HC

    Blantyre, Malawi

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