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Using an online service for breastfeeding support: what mothers want to discuss
Author(s) -
Cowie Genevieve A.,
Hill Sophie,
Robinson Priscilla
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1071/he11113
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , peer support , resource (disambiguation) , psychology , social support , social media , emotional support , service (business) , public relations , internet privacy , medicine , social psychology , nursing , world wide web , computer science , political science , pediatrics , business , computer network , marketing
Issue addressed There is little research on how the establishment and maintenance of breastfeeding and other early parenting skills is assisted by the use of electronic peer support groups. In what ways do parents use a popular peer‐moderated online resource and what topics do they choose to discuss? The objective of this study was to identify and quantify the main uses of an electronic discussion board hosted by a prominent Australian lay breastfeeding advocacy organisation. Methods Three consecutive days of conversations on the discussion board were followed. Using content analysis, the messages were coded and analysed statistically for the ways the board was used and which topics were and were not present. Results The discussion board almost universally gave emotional support to the participants and most users expressed their emotions in their messages. The giving of factual advice or opinions was a much less frequent use of the discussion board as was the clear seeking of emotional support and general facts or advice. The range of topics discussed was dominated by general parenting followed by various breastfeeding topics as well as much discussion related to general social support. Conclusions The lay‐moderated discussion board can be a worthwhile resource for parents in need of reassurance, information or general social support. It may also be useful to expand the amount of breastfeeding and parenting information available on the organisation's main website. So what? The lay‐moderated discussion board is a useful format for the social and informational support of people going through a normal life event with health implications. Comparison of these findings with those from similar peer support discussion boards as well as further studies on the accuracy of information exchanged in such situations would be useful to more fully understand the potential of this medium for health promotion.