Infant Feeding Websites and Apps: A Systematic Assessment of Quality and Content

Abstract

BackgroundInternet websites and smartphone apps have become a popular resource to guide parents in their children’s feeding and nutrition. Given the diverse range of websites and apps on infant feeding, the quality of information in these resources should be assessed to identify whether consumers have access to credible and reliable information.ObjectiveThis systematic analysis provides perspectives on the information available about infant feeding on websites and smartphone apps.MethodsA systematic analysis was conducted to assess the quality, comprehensibility, suitability, and readability of websites and apps on infant feeding using a developed tool. Google and Bing were used to search for websites from Australia, while the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android were used to search for apps. Specified key words including baby feeding, breast feeding, formula feeding and introducing solids were used to assess websites and apps addressing feeding advice. Criteria for assessing the accuracy of the content were developed using the Australian Infant Feeding Guidelines.ResultsA total of 600 websites and 2884 apps were screened, and 44 websites and 46 apps met the selection criteria and were analyzed. Most of the websites (26/44) and apps (43/46) were noncommercial, some websites (10/44) and 1 app were commercial and there were 8 government websites; 2 apps had university endorsement. The majority of the websites and apps were rated poor quality. There were two websites that had 100% coverage of information compared to those rated as fair or poor that had low coverage. Two-thirds of the websites (65%) and almost half of the apps (47%) had a readability level above the 8th grade level.ConclusionsThe findings of this unique analysis highlight the potential for website and app developers to merge user requirements with evidence-based content to ensure that information on infant feeding is of high quality. There are currently no apps available to consumers that address a variety of infant feeding topics. To keep up with the rapid turnover of the evolving technology, health professionals need to consider developing an app that will provide consumers with a credible and reliable source of information about infant feeding, using quality assessment tools and evidence-based content.

Health Care Apps Reported in Newspapers: Content Analysis (Preprint)

“…A third of the articles were classified as having average / good quality of reporting while only 5.9% were considered excellent. This was consistent with previous research articles that highlighted the poor quality of information in the print media about health-related matters [46,47]. It has been reported that high quality newspaper articles often flow from a press release, generally from a scientific journal [21].…”

Key Lessons and Impact of the Growing Healthy mHealth Program on Milk Feeding, Timing of Introduction of Solids, and Infant Growth: Quasi-Experimental Study (Preprint)

“…One study reported that low income women commonly use apps during pregnancy, but not in the post-partum period because of the limited availability of high quality apps, creating a 'post-partum app gap' [28]. This is in line with our own research were we found that infant feeding apps available in Australia are generally of low quality [29].…”

“…These survey questions were adapted from EMPOWER, an Australian mHealth intervention aimed at weight loss in adults [38] and the app quality assessment tool [29] .…”

Online information for parents caring for their premature baby at home: A focus group study and systematic web search

“…The Flesch‐Kincaid scores were highly variable, but the majority scored over 60 which is in keeping with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Skills for Life Survey in the UK which found 56.6% of respondents achieved literacy equivalent to a good GCSE grade A*‐C . Other research has found health‐related websites to have reading scores of 50‐60 (lower scores more difficult to read), and concerns have been expressed that the information may be challenging for those with low literacy levels . As health information on the web continues to grow more research is needed into how to best support those with lower literacy and special communication needs when it comes to Internet use and health information.…”