OptimalMe

Helping women to sustainably build healthy habits before, during, and after pregnancy.

• Investigators

  • • Professor Daphne Flynn
    • Dr Myra Thiessen
    • Dr Indae Hwang
    • Dr Gretchen Coombs
    Monash Art, Design and Architecture
  • • Associate Professor Cheryce Harrison PhD
    • Susanne Baker
    • Rebecca Madill
    Monash University

• Co-investigators

  • Hingis Ma
  • Ying Ma
  • Belle Lertruangamorn
  • Sherry Lu

• Funded by

  • MRFF

• Undertaken within

  • Design Health Collab

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucially important during pregnancy, for both mothers and baby. Many women find it difficult to source trustworthy information about maintaining healthy habits and this can be especially hard for women who are new to Australia and from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. OptimalMe is a digital health platform that aims to provide consistent reliable information about what constitutes healthy habits and how to maintain them before, during, and after pregnancy. Using healthy weight gain as a primary measure of health, users are encouraged to track their weight using the OptimalMe weight tracking feature. The platform also provides up-to-date information about foetal development and more generalised information about the value of maintaining hydration, eating healthy meals, and exercise. The visual approach reflects a ‘friendly coach’ and the app is designed to provide positive support that is inclusive, lively, safe, and stress free.