#postbabyhankypanky: An Empirically Based Knowledge Sharing Initiative About Sex and the Transition to Parenthood

Abstract

Despite the many sexual concerns experienced by new parents, and their reported desire for more information on this topic, both parents and healthcare providers remain reticent to broach the subject. The goal of this project was to disseminate evidence-based knowledge from our prior research in a way that was accessible, engaging, and would spark further interest and communication for both new parents and healthcare providers. We convened a multidisciplinary advisory group that also involved community parents who provided feedback at all phases of this project. We developed five brief YouTube videos, each featuring a core research finding. Following an empirically supported strategic knowledge translation plan, we disseminated the videos to our target audiences (i.e., expectant and new parents, healthcare providers, educators, and other stakeholders) using social media from February 2018 to November 2019. Data were collected using YouTube analytics and an online survey (convenience sample: N = 225 parents; N = 161 healthcare providers). From the date of the launch, the videos had a reach of 91,766 views from 14 countries, with viewers watching an average of 90% of a video. Overall, quantitative and qualitative survey results suggested that the videos were acceptable and appropriate, and respondents were more confident and comfortable discussing sexual issues (with their partner/with their patients) and would like more information about postpartum sexuality after watching the videos. YouTube videos are an acceptable and effective way to disseminate evidence aimed at raising awareness of factors affecting sexuality in the transition to parenthood.

On Methods and Marshmallows: A Roadmap for Science That Is Openly Feminist and Radically Open

“…A good model is the #postbabyhankypanky blog (http://postbabyhankypanky.com/) which translates research on postpartum sexual desire into short, funny animations. The researchers behind this site reported that healthcare providers viewing these videos were significantly more likely to correctly interpret the findings from these studies and apply them appropriately (Rosen et al, 2021). Of course, the act of translating one’s findings for the lay public and engaging in dissemination on social media invites both good and bad attention.…”

Recovering Sexuality after Childbirth. What Strategies Do Women Adopt? A Qualitative Study

“…In addition, women feel the need for support through the advice of health professionals who can address concerns about baby and postpartum care. This need is supported by many other studies, which also show that women do not feel accompanied during the postpartum period, because, according to them, medical check-ups during this period are insufficient [ 7 , 8 , 14 , 19 , 29 , 54 , 55 ].…”

Content and quality of YouTube regarding women’s health: a scoping review

“…The themes covered by the included studies comprised incontinence [ 12 , 20 , 23 ], breast cancer [ 18 , 19 ], and breast cancer examinations [ 24 ], arm exercise after breast cancer surgery [ 26 ], BRCA mutation test [ 29 ], pelvic organ prolapse [ 28 ], human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines [ 13 ], Papanicolaou (Pap) smear tests [ 21 ], women’s health information [ 14 ], female physical examinations [ 15 ], contraception [ 17 ], pregnancy information during COVID-19 [ 16 ], postpartum sexuality [ 22 ], obstetric epidural anesthesia [ 25 ], placenta accreta [ 30 ], sexual education [ 27 ], female urethroplasty [ 32 ], and female urinary tract infection [ 31 ] (one study each). There were 17 content analyses [ 12 , 13 , 15 - 16 , 18 - 20 , 23 - 26 , 28 - 32 ], two randomized studies [ 14 , 17 ], and two quasi-experimental studies [ 22 , 27 ]. This study included 18 studies that analyzed English-language YouTube videos [ 12 - 15 , 17 , 19 - 26 , 28 - 32 ], as well as three studies [ 12 , 28 , 31 ] that als...…”

“…The outcome variables used in the included studies comprised content quality [ 12 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 30 , 31 ], accuracy [ 16 , 18 , 19 , 31 , 32 ], reliability or credibility [ 21 , 23 , 26 , 30 - 32 ], usefulness [ 15 , 24 , 28 ], view count [ 14 , 29 ], sharing count [ 14 ], video length [ 29 ], tone [ 13 ], source [ 13 ], clarity [ 16 ], actionability [ 20 ], satisfaction [ 17 ], acceptance [ 22 ], penetration [ 22 ], understandability [ 20 ], readability [ 28 ], education quality [ 30 ], sexual knowledge [ 27 ], sexual attitudes [ 27 ], and parent-child relationships [ 27 ]. The measurement tools included DISCERN (a set of quality criteria developed for written consumer health information) [ 18 , 19 , 21 , 23 , 26 , 30 , 31 ], self-developed tools [ 16 , 22 ,…”

“…Videos related to incontinence showed low understandability (57.9±19.8) and low actionability (44.7±35.9) [ 20 ]. Postpartum sexuality videos were deemed acceptable by 84% of healthcare professionals and 87% of patients [ 22 ]. Incontinence-related videos had an average content quality score of 38.2±11.5 [ 23 ].…”