COVID-19 Information Sources and Health Behaviors During Pregnancy: Results From a Prenatal App-Embedded Survey

Abstract

Background Pregnancy is a time of heightened COVID-19 risk. Pregnant individuals’ choice of specific protective health behaviors during pregnancy may be affected by information sources. Objective This study examined the association between COVID-19 information sources and engagement in protective health behaviors among a pregnant population in a large academic medical system. Methods Pregnant patients completed an app-based questionnaire about their sources of COVID-19 information and engagement in protective health behaviors. The voluntary questionnaire was made available to patients using a pregnancy app as part of their routine prenatal care between April 21 and November 27, 2020. Results In total, 637 pregnant responders routinely accessed a median of 5 sources for COVID-19 information. The most cited source (79%) was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Self-reporting evidence-based protective actions was relatively common, although 14% self-reported potentially harmful behaviors to avoid COVID-19 infection. The CDC and other sources were positively associated with engaging in protective behaviors while others (eg, US president Donald Trump) were negatively associated with protective behaviors. Participation in protective behaviors was not associated with refraining from potentially harmful behaviors (P=.93). Moreover, participation in protective behaviors decreased (P=.03) and participation in potentially harmful actions increased (P=.001) over the course of the pandemic. Conclusions Pregnant patients were highly engaged in COVID-19–related information-seeking and health behaviors. Clear, targeted, and regular communication from commonly accessed health organizations about which actions may be harmful, in addition to which actions offer protection, may offer needed support to the pregnant population.

A Mother’s Dilemma: The 5-P Model for Vaccine Decision-Making in Pregnancy

“…Pregnancy is an intense information-seeking phase [ 52 ]. Information trusted by pregnant women influences health decisions, behavior, and vaccine acceptance [ 53 ]. Information sufficiency is also shown to positively influence pregnancy satisfaction [ 54 ].…”

“…It has also been shown that for many women, vaccine decision-making for the infant commences during their pregnancy [ 52 ]. Given the heightened risk to pregnant women that COVID-19 presents, numerous studies have shown that pregnant women are highly engaged in information-seeking behavior related to COVID-19 infection and vaccines [ 53 ]. Conversely, in a study of COVID-19 vaccine uptake during pregnancy, the most cited reason for hesitancy was a lack of knowledge about the vaccine [ 31 ].…”

Pemanfaatan Aplikasi Self-Care Ibu Hamil Selama Pandemi di Negara Maju dan Berkembang : Sebuah Tinjauan Pustaka

“…21 Fitur yang tersedia termasuk konten pendidikan menurut minggu kehamilan, karakteristik demografis dan klinis pengguna, jumlah gerakan janin dan pengatur waktu kontraksi, peluang untuk mendokumentasikan pengalaman kehamilan, dan pemeriksaan rutin untuk gejala serta risiko psikososial.21 Aplikasi ini juga menawarkan sumber daya yang relevan (misalnya layanan kesehatan setempat) atau tindakan (misalnya menghubungi penyedia layanan), tanda atau gejala Covid-19 (alat skrining Covid-19), pelaporan gejala dengan panduan pencarian pengobatan serta kuesioner perilaku Covid-19. 22 Konten medis di aplikasi My Healthy Pregnancy bersumber dari organisasi dan pedoman ahli seperti American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Pusat Pengendalian dan Pencegahan Penyakit (CDC) dan publikasi jurnal peer-review. Draf akhir konten akan ditinjau oleh para profesional medis, termasuk spesialis kedokteran ibu dan janin.21 Perlu adanya panduan khusus tentang aplikasi terkait sumber informasi dari ACOG, CDC dan publikasi jurnal.…”

The Relationship between Socio-Demographic Factors, Preventive Health Behaviors and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine among Israeli Pregnant Women during the Coronavirus Pandemic

“…There are women who carefully follow treatment plans and receive the required medical treatment as is; on the other hand, there are women who choose not to accept the recommendations accurately and change them accordingly when they feel they are not beneficial for them [40][41][42]. Specifically, it is known that socio-demographic factors and socio-cultural contexts may influence decision-making regarding the PHBs of pregnant women against the Coronavirus [27,43]. Therefore, it is important to examine the contribution of such background factors in predicting PHB against the Coronavirus among pregnant women.…”