Internet Use and Access Among Pregnant Women via Computer and Mobile Phone: Implications for Delivery of Perinatal Care

Abstract

BackgroundThe use of Internet-based behavioral programs may be an efficient, flexible method to enhance prenatal care and improve pregnancy outcomes. There are few data about access to, and use of, the Internet via computers and mobile phones among pregnant women.ObjectiveWe describe pregnant women’s access to, and use of, computers, mobile phones, and computer technologies (eg, Internet, blogs, chat rooms) in a southern United States population. We describe the willingness of pregnant women to participate in Internet-supported weight-loss interventions delivered via computers or mobile phones.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey among 100 pregnant women at a tertiary referral center ultrasound clinic in the southeast United States. Data were analyzed using Stata version 10 (StataCorp) and R (R Core Team 2013). Means and frequency procedures were used to describe demographic characteristics, access to computers and mobile phones, and use of specific Internet modalities. Chi-square testing was used to determine whether there were differences in technology access and Internet modality use according to age, race/ethnicity, income, or children in the home. The Fisher’s exact test was used to describe preferences to participate in Internet-based postpartum weight-loss interventions via computer versus mobile phone. Logistic regression was used to determine demographic characteristics associated with these preferences.ResultsThe study sample was 61.0% white, 26.0% black, 6.0% Hispanic, and 7.0% Asian with a mean age of 31.0 (SD 5.1). Most participants had access to a computer (89/100, 89.0%) or mobile phone (88/100, 88.0%) for at least 8 hours per week. Access remained high (>74%) across age groups, racial/ethnic groups, income levels, and number of children in the home. Internet/Web (94/100, 94.0%), email (90/100, 90.0%), and Facebook (50/100, 50.0%) were the most commonly used Internet technologies. Women aged less than 30 years were more likely to report use of Twitter and chat rooms compared to women 30 years of age or older. Of the participants, 82.0% (82/100) were fairly willing or very willing to participate in postpartum lifestyle intervention. Of the participants, 83.0% (83/100) were fairly willing or very willing to participate in an Internet intervention delivered via computer, while only 49.0% (49/100) were fairly willing or very willing to do so via mobile phone technology. Older women and women with children tended to be less likely to desire a mobile phone-based program.ConclusionsThere is broad access and use of computer and mobile phone technology among southern US pregnant women with varied demographic characteristics. Pregnant women are willing to participate in Internet-supported perinatal interventions. Our findings can inform the development of computer- and mobile phone-based approaches for the delivery of clinical and educational interventions.

Effects of a Web‐Based Antenatal Care System on Maternal Stress and Self‐Efficacy During Pregnancy: A Study in Taiwan

“…Previous research has reported that over 90% of pregnant women are interested in using the internet or smartphones to search for pregnancy‐related information that affects their decision making . A survey in the United States reported that 83% of pregnant women were willing to receive e‐health antenatal education, and they were more likely to use the internet via computer than mobile phone to obtain the antenatal education information . A similar finding was found in a study that indicated that the majority of women were interested in receiving e‐health to improve their health behaviors during pregnancy …”

The Gestational Diabetes Management System (GooDMomS): development, feasibility and lessons learned from a patient-informed, web-based pregnancy and postpartum lifestyle intervention

“…Second, this study adds to the literature on behavioral interventions that can be successfully delivered to pregnant and postpartum women, as the feedback from the post study focus group indicated that the intervention interface and content was both accessible and useful [ 34 ]. National studies and investigations within our institution [ 35 ] confirm access to and use of web-based technologies among pregnant women. Third, this study represents one of the first efforts to measure the preliminary effects of a web-supported behavioral intervention that begins with the diagnosis of GDM, continues through pregnancy and postpartum and include weight and body composition measures of the offspring.…”

Gebeleri̇n İnterneti̇ Kullanma Sikliklari Ve Nedenleri̇

“…Aynı araştırmaya göre erkeklerin; bilgisayar kullanım oranı %64.1 internet kullanım oranı %70.5 iken kadınların; bilgisayar kullanım oranı %45.9, internet kullanım oranı ise %51.9 olarak saptanmıştır [6]. Urrutia ve arkadaşlarının çalışmasında (2015); gebelerin %89'unun bilgisayar, %88'inin ise akıllı cep telefonları aracılığıyla internete eriştikleri saptanmıştır [24]. Bu durum, gebelikle ilgili doğru ve güvenilir bilgilere ulaşılabilirliği arttırmak amacıyla akıllı telefonlar/tablet bilgisayarlar aracılığıyla ulaşılabilir eğitim programlarının tasarlanması gerekliliğini ortaya koymaktadır.…”

“…Günümüzde gebe kadınların büyük bir çoğunluğu sağlık uzmanları gibi sınırsız sağlık bilgisine ulaşmakta ve gebelik süreci boyunca bilgi edinmek için internetten çok fazla faydalanmaktadır [28 ve 29] Gebeler üzerinde yapılan bir çalışmada; bilgisayarlar, cep telefonları, internet/web tarayıcıları, e-posta ve Facebook da dâhil olmak üzere çeşitli internet teknolojilerinin kullanımı yoluyla internete geniş erişim sağladıkları belirtilmektedir [24]. Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu tarafından gerçekleştirilen bir çalışmada(2016) hanelerin %96.9"unda cep telefonu veya akıllı telefon bulunduğu saptanmıştır [6].…”