Exploring the use and quality of Internet discussion forums in pregnancy: A qualitative analysis

Abstract

Background The Internet is widely used as a source of health information to assist decision making in pregnancy. Concerningly, the quality of information shared on online pregnancy forums is unclear. Our objectives were to explore online pregnancy forum health‐related use and evaluate quality of information shared. Methods This retrospective qualitative study had two phases of data collection and analysis. First, thematic analysis of a representative sample (n = 480) of posts explored motivators for forum use. Second, a subgroup (n = 153) of threads with clinical content was assessed for congruence with reputable sources. Results Common motivators for forum engagement were a desire for lived experience, unlimited access, and the opportunity to express emotions. Of 1098 responses sharing advice, information, or experience, 601 (54.7%) were accurate; 230 (20.9%) were erroneous, incomplete, or misleading; and 267 (24.3%) lacked credible evidence. Of these, 60 (5.5%) were potentially harmful. Responses often directed women to a health care practitioner, but concerningly, failed to refer ten women in need of urgent medical assessment. Few discussions were self‐regulating, with only 12 of 230 (5.2%) poor‐quality messages subsequently rectified. Conclusions Exchange of information and emotional support among peers are key functions of online pregnancy forums. There is a modest prevalence of poor‐quality or potentially harmful information but more concerningly a lack of peer moderation. We suggest health care practitioners ensure pregnant women have a clear understanding of when clinical consultation is required. Clinicians may wish to discuss the supportive community aspects of online forums in cases where offline support is lacking.

Support Seeking in the Postpartum Period: Content Analysis of Posts in Web-Based Parenting Discussion Groups

“…Therefore, the first site was retained, with the remainder deemed insufficient for sampling. This approach is comparable with previous research that used discussion forums [ 19 , 20 ].…”

“…Posts were collected sequentially, as they appeared on the day of sampling, and if a post met the exclusion criteria, the following post was selected until 20 posts were obtained. Posts were extracted in a deidentified format into an Excel (Microsoft) document that included the post title, date, and content, comparable with previous research [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Perinatal Distress During COVID-19: Thematic Analysis of an Online Parenting Forum

“…Online support groups have previously been shown to be commonly accessed by women during this period. They provide an accessible, peer-to-peer opportunity for information sharing, individualized information seeking, and social and emotional support from women in a comparable life stage [ 21 , 22 ]. Accessibility and anonymity provided by online forums facilitates a disinhibited expression of feelings without concern of consequences or conflict from close connections.…”

Pregnancy and health in the age of the Internet: A content analysis of online “birth club” forums

“…This is especially concerning, given that as many as 70-75% of pregnant women do not speak to their health care providers about information retrieved from the Internet [23,30,34]. Furthermore, one recent study analyzing the quality of online information in Internet discussion forums in pregnancy found that 24.3% of responses lacked credible evidence and 5.5% were potentially harmful [38]. Yet women typically perceive online pregnancy information to be reliable and of high quality [1,3,5,9,30,34], and use it to inform their health care decisionmaking [4,5,12,14].…”