Can a smartphone app curb drinking during pregnancy?
NCT ID NCT04332172
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a phone-based program called MommyCheckup to see if it helps pregnant women who drink alcohol cut back or stop. The program includes a short motivational video and tailored text messages. Researchers enrolled 384 pregnant women across three states to see if the app leads to healthier births and less alcohol use.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- electronic brief intervention (e-SBI) called MommyCheckup
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a scalable tool to help pregnant women reduce alcohol use and lower the risk of fetal alcohol disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed trial with self-reported outcomes, which may not be fully reliable. The intervention is behavioral, so results may vary across different populations.
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
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384 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2023
- Finished
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Aug 2025
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 35 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Age 18-35 years * Pregnant * Self-report of alcohol risk (those who score positive on the T-ACE screen (Sokol, Martier, \& Ager, 1989), and also report either drinking weekly or more in the past month, or having 4 or more drinks at a time at least monthly in the 12 months before becoming pregnant * 20 weeks or less gestation * Planning to give birth in either Connecticut, Massachusetts, or Michigan * Owning a mobile device that they are willing to use to receive study-related text reminders and to complete online study activities including assessments/boosters * Completion of baseline assessment (enrollment criterion) Exclusion Criteria: * Not planning to carry the baby to term * Unable to communicate in English
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Michigan State University
Flint, Michigan, 48502, United States
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