Web-Based Surveillance of Public Information Needs for Informing Preconception Interventions

Abstract

BackgroundThe risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes can be minimized through the adoption of healthy lifestyles before pregnancy by women of childbearing age. Initiatives for promotion of preconception health may be difficult to implement. Internet can be used to build tailored health interventions through identification of the public's information needs. To this aim, we developed a semi-automatic web-based system for monitoring Google searches, web pages and activity on social networks, regarding preconception health.MethodsBased on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines and on the actual search behaviors of Italian Internet users, we defined a set of keywords targeting preconception care topics. Using these keywords, we analyzed the usage of Google search engine and identified web pages containing preconception care recommendations. We also monitored how the selected web pages were shared on social networks. We analyzed discrepancies between searched and published information and the sharing pattern of the topics.ResultsWe identified 1,807 Google search queries which generated a total of 1,995,030 searches during the study period. Less than 10% of the reviewed pages contained preconception care information and in 42.8% information was consistent with ACOG guidelines. Facebook was the most used social network for sharing. Nutrition, Chronic Diseases and Infectious Diseases were the most published and searched topics. Regarding Genetic Risk and Folic Acid, a high search volume was not associated to a high web page production, while Medication pages were more frequently published than searched. Vaccinations elicited high sharing although web page production was low; this effect was quite variable in time.ConclusionOur study represent a resource to prioritize communication on specific topics on the web, to address misconceptions, and to tailor interventions to specific populations.

Why women do not ask for information on preconception health? A qualitative study

“…The results of the present study are in accordance with a previous investigation that monitored PC contents searched, published on web pages, and shared on social networks by Italian Internet users [51]. The lack of awareness of preconception health emerged in both studies.…”

Query sampler: generating query sets for analyzing search engines using keyword research tools

“…1 1 The authors did not mention Google Keyword Planner explicitly, but its usage can be assumed. Similar approaches were taken by Alby (2020) and D’Ambrosio et al (2015) . Regarding the topic of skin diseases, Alby (2020) used disease terms and synonyms to build search queries ( N = 2,397) via Google Keyword Planner, while D’Ambrosio et al (2015) used preconception-related keywords to obtain queries ( N = 29,132) that were actually searched for by Italian Internet users.…”

“…Similar approaches were taken by Alby (2020) and D’Ambrosio et al (2015) . Regarding the topic of skin diseases, Alby (2020) used disease terms and synonyms to build search queries ( N = 2,397) via Google Keyword Planner, while D’Ambrosio et al (2015) used preconception-related keywords to obtain queries ( N = 29,132) that were actually searched for by Italian Internet users. For Google Keyword Planner, however, the limitation must be added that Google greatly reduced the accuracy of the data for accounts with low AdWords sales in 2016.…”

Australian women's information‐seeking preferences and needs in preparation for pregnancy

“…Internet sources are often unregulated, potentially unreliable and inconsistent with evidence‐based guidelines. 16 , 17 Nevertheless, research supports the importance of the internet, e‐technology and social media for women motivated towards lifestyle changes resulting from information acquired by themselves. 15 To improve health care engagement, the public health sector must help women self‐identify, accessible, credible and appropriate evidence‐based information across the life course.…”

“…In the current study, however, only 13%–36% of women reported accessing online information about the preconception topics we assessed. Internet sources are often unregulated, potentially unreliable and inconsistent with evidence‐based guidelines 16,17 . Nevertheless, research supports the importance of the internet, e‐technology and social media for women motivated towards lifestyle changes resulting from information acquired by themselves 15 .…”