Dr. Rachel Tinius, associate professor in the WKU College of Health and Human Services, and CEO of BumptUp® Labs, Inc., has been awarded a grant for $295,883 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Tinius will use the grant to support the advancement of BumptUp®, a mobile maternal health app developed to help pregnant and postpartum women become or stay active during and after pregnancy.

In response to pregnancy-related issues linked to maternal weight, BumptUp® was created by trained exercise scientists from WKU, including Dr. Tinius, with expertise in maternal health. BumptUp® uses evidence-based exercise programs, progress and symptom tracking, dietary recommendations, and social support to help women through pregnancy.

Tinius shared, “Women are dying from pregnancy-related issues at higher rates in the U.S. than in any other developed nation in the world, and more than 50% of these deaths are linked to issues related to maternal weight. It is well-established that mobile health apps positively impact user lifestyle changes; thus, the development of BumptUp® has great potential to reduce the large number of preventable maternal deaths in the U.S. while also reducing healthcare costs.”

The objective of Tinius’ NIH project is to conduct a clinical trial to demonstrate BumptUp®’s efficacy and to use the feedback gained from the clinical trial to perform design changes to the BumptUp® app.

Dr. Tinius has conducted physical activity research among pregnant and postpartum women for over 13 years, specifically targeting women in underserved environments. She has conducted studies ranging from cross-sectional work investigating metabolic pathways in obese pregnant women to community-based behavioral interventions.

Work for BumptUp® began in 2019 with focus groups and early app development. In 2020 and 2021, a pilot clinical trial was conducted to investigate its potential for impact. A larger randomized controlled clinical trial is ongoing, and with SBIR funding, will continue over the next several years. While continuing the research with the app (BumptUp®), Dr. Tinius spent time participating in business accelerators and training programs. She completed the Launch Blue UAccel Program in 2022 and the EQUALIZE (training program for women entrepreneurs in academic) program in 2023. EQUALIZE ended with pitch competition, where BumptUp® won the People’s Choice Award for the Digital Tools category. BumptUp® officially hit the market in December 2023.

Tinius said she hopes BumptUp® can become a valuable resource for new and expectant moms (and their providers) by bringing evidence-based physical activity guidance to their fingertips. The overarching goal of the company and the research is to address the ongoing obesity epidemic and maternal mortality crisis, specifically in Kentucky, by helping women make key lifestyle changes.

About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): NICHD leads research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. For more information, visit https://www.nichd.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit https://www.nih.gov.  

About BumptUp®: BumptUp® was developed by trained exercise scientists with expertise in maternal health from Western Kentucky University. The mission of BumptUp® Labs, Inc. is to provide every woman with equal opportunity and access to trustworthy, research-supported physical activity care on their maternal journey. For more information about Dr. Rachel Tinius, BumptUp® labs, Inc., and the BumptUp® app, please visit www.bumptup.com.

Disclaimer: Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R43HD115442. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.