Conference Paper2025Cited by 1

Preliminary design of a culturally tailored AI-integrated mhealth app for gestational diabetes and excessive weight management in bangladesh

Faiza Omar Arpita, Istiaq Ahmed, Ashraful Islam, Ashfaqul Islam, Asif Mahmud, M Ashraful Amin

2025 IEEE 23rd Student Conference on Research and Development (SCOReD)

IEEE, pp. 1-6

  • Good Health and Well-being — Relevance: 97%
  • Gender Equality — Relevance: 83%
DOI: 10.1109/scored68498.2025.11399175URL

Abstract

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) and Excessive Gestational Weight Gain (EGWG) pose significant health risks to mothers and children in Bangladesh. Although mobile health (mHealth) apps offer a promising avenue for managing these conditions, generic solutions often fail due to a lack of cultural and contextual adaptation. This study presents a user-centred approach to define the essential features of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-integrated mHealth app specifically for Bangladeshi women. We conducted a mixed-methods study, beginning with a survey of 15 pregnant or postpartum women to understand their digital literacy, health information behaviours, and needs. Following this, we conducted a focus group discussion to deepen their understanding of their experiences and expectations. Using the six-phase thematic analysis framework by Braun and Clarke, we analyzed qualitative data to identify core user requirements. Our analysis revealed five key themes: (1) accessibility and usability, (2) cultural and contextual relevance, (3) core health management features, (4) trust, privacy, and security, and (5) social and community support. These findings form the basis of a conceptual model and corresponding low-fidelity prototypes for a culturally-attuned, accessible, and trustworthy mHealth app. This research provides actionable insights for developing solutions that are not only clinically effective but also resonate with the lived realities of users in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Bangladesh.

Keywords

  • excessive gestational weight gain
  • postpartum women
  • Bangladesh
  • gestational diabetes mellitus
  • digital literacy
  • health information behavior
  • User-centered design
  • trust and privacy
  • low- and middle-income countries
  • artificial intelligence in healthcare

CCDS Authors

Istiaq Ahmed
Istiaq Ahmed

Istiaq Ahmed

  • Research Assistant, HCI Wing

Published at

CHI, HCII

Research Interests

mHealth, Human-Computer Interaction, Cross-Platform App/Website Development

Ashraful Islam, PhD
Ashraful Islam

Ashraful Islam, PhD

  • Center Director, CCDS
  • Director, HCI Wing

Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

Published at

CHI, UIST, UbiComp, IJCNN, ICIP, HCII, ICDMW, BLP, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, JMIR, JMIR Human Factors, JMIR Formative Research, IEEE Access, Smart Agricultural Technology, Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, PLOS ONE

Research Interests

Human-Computer Interaction, AI for Social Good, AI for Public Health, AI for Impact

Asif Mahmud
Asif Mahmud

Asif Mahmud

  • Co-Director, IPT Wing

Lecturer

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Independent University, Bangladesh

Prof. M Ashraful Amin, PhD
M Ashraful Amin, PhD

Prof. M Ashraful Amin, PhD

  • Founder Director, CCDS
  • Director, AI/ML, HCI & DS Wings

Professor

+1 more affiliation

Department of Information Sciences and Technology

George Mason University, USA

Published at

ACL, CHI, UbiComp, ECAI, WACV, PAKDD, IJCNN, ICPR, ICIP, HCII, CLEF, BLP, Scientific Reports, JMIR, IEEE Access, Smart Agricultural Technology, Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, PLOS ONE

Research Interests

Machine Learning, Cognitive & Vision Science, Cybernetics, Surveillance & Security, ICT in Education, Health, & Agriculture, Human-Computer Interaction, Internet of Things, Robotics

References

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Cited By

  1. 1.Faiza Omar Arpita, Istiaq Ahmed, Joye Banik, Ashraful Islam, M. Ashraful Amin. (2026). Co-Designing a Culturally Tailored mHealth App for Gestational Diabetes and Excessive Gestational Weight Gain Management in Bangladesh. Lecture notes in computer science, 28–48[10.1007/978-3-032-30549-7_2]
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