Midwife-moderated social media groups as a validated information source for women during pregnancy

McCarthy, Rose; Byrne, Ged; Brettle, Alison; Choucri, Lesley; Ormandy, Paula; Chatwin, John

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2020.102710

Cited by 27 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…They may read the experience of others diagnosed with the same illness, share details of their own medication and diagnosis [107,108], share and access medical knowledge such as treatment options and self-care activities [109], learn about health laws [110], and solicit recommendations of doctors and hospitals [99]. They may also proactively request health information and advice [111] and validate health information with others [112].…”

Section: Exchange Social Support In Online Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media Use for Health Purposes: Systematic Review

Chen¹,

Wang²

2021

J Med Internet Res

394

220

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Background Social media has been widely used for health-related purposes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous reviews have summarized social media uses for a specific health purpose such as health interventions, health campaigns, medical education, and disease outbreak surveillance. The most recent comprehensive review of social media uses for health purposes, however, was conducted in 2013. A systematic review that covers various health purposes is needed to reveal the new usages and research gaps that emerge in recent years. Objective This study aimed to provide a systematic review of social media uses for health purposes that have been identified in previous studies. Methods The researchers searched for peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2006 and 2020 in 12 databases covering medicine, public health, and social science. After coding the articles in terms of publication year, journal area, country, method, social media platform, and social media use for health purposes, the researchers provided a review of social media use for health purposes identified in these articles. Results This study summarized 10 social media uses for various health purposes by health institutions, health researchers and practitioners, and the public. Conclusions Social media can be used for various health purposes. Several new usages have emerged since 2013 including advancing health research and practice, social mobilization, and facilitating offline health-related services and events. Research gaps exist regarding advancing strategic use of social media based on audience segmentation, evaluating the impact of social media in health interventions, understanding the impact of health identity development, and addressing privacy concerns.

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Section: Exchange Social Support In Online Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media Use for Health Purposes: Systematic Review

Chen¹,

Wang²

2021

J Med Internet Res

394

220

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The lower rate of sharing information found in the current study may be due to the demographic characteristics of the sample, with the majority of participants likely to not be part of specific online support or self-help groups related to preconception or pregnancy, where such information is primarily routinely shared [ 22 ]. These groups provide individualised informational, social, and emotional support, particularly for pregnant women [ 2 ]. Finally, the finding that approximately two-thirds of young women would intend to use social media for preconception (68%) or pregnancy (60%) health information in the future suggests that this mode of communication and information sharing should be leveraged to improve accessibility to, and quality of, health care during these life stages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Women during preconception and pregnancy planning periods often engage in increased information seeking, decision-making behaviours, and lifestyle changes to maximise individual and intergenerational health [ 1 ]. With advances in social media and technology in recent years, young women of reproductive age (i.e., 18–25 years old) are turning to social media for health-related information, such as lifestyle advice, that was usually exclusively sought directly from health care providers, family, peers, or printed media [ 2 ]. Specifically, this age group of young women have the highest rate of social media use and engagement [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Health professionals are also increasingly using social media themselves to communicate health messages and post health information in more accessible forms, such as videos and images, which can be retrieved from any place at any time [ 9 ]. Key benefits of social media use for health information, from the perspective of end-users themselves, include increased accessibility to relevant and tailored advice, greater interactivity, self-monitoring, convenient, little to no cost, and more timely answers [ 2 , 7 , 10 , 11 ]. Social media also allows its users to share health information with others, including their health care experiences, symptoms, and knowledge [ 2 , 12 ], which can facilitate social support, connection, and a sense of ‘community’ for women of young reproductive age [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Use of Social Media for Preconception Information and Pregnancy Planning among Young Women

Skouteris

Savaglio

2021

JCM

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Young women of reproductive age (18–25 years) often seek and engage with health-related information via social media. However, the extent to which this population group seek preconception and pregnancy-related information has not been explored. Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) examine the proportion, type, and frequency of social media use to seek general health, preconception, and pregnancy-related information or advice among young women; and (2) explore the relationship between age, education status, relationship status, and planning a pregnancy on social media use for preconception and pregnancy-related health information. Ninety-one Australian women aged 18–25 years completed an online survey about their patterns and preferences of social media use for this information. Forty percent of women used social media for general health information (most often daily), 32% for preconception health advice (most commonly weekly), and 20% for pregnancy-related information (most often weekly), with Facebook the most frequently used platform. Planning a pregnancy within the next 5 years and younger age were associated with greater likelihood of using social media for such information. It is necessary that social media platforms are leveraged to disseminate preconception and pregnancy planning health advice, support, and education to provide better health promotion and preventive care to young women.

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“…Since mass media has a powerful influence on people's thinking and behavior, in the era of COVID-19, mass media could play an important role to increase health awareness to reduce pregnancy-related complications (55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60). The public reliance on the media (radio, television, social networking sites) offers a unique tool to deliver health-related information and to increase health consciousness (57)(58)(59)(60)(61). The mass media could, therefore, play a vital role in informing the community about the obstetric danger signs and possible measures, including advising appropriate places for managing those danger signs in the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Section: Priority Action Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%