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“It's more personal if you can have that contact with a person”: Qualitative study of health information preferences of parents and caregivers of children with obesity in New Zealand
Author(s) -
Wild Cervantée E. K.,
Egli Victoria,
Rawiri Ngauru T.,
Willing Esther J.,
Hofman Paul L.,
Anderson Yvonne C.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
health and social care in the community
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.984
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2524
pISSN - 0966-0410
DOI - 10.1111/hsc.13756
Subject(s) - social media , aotearoa , the internet , qualitative research , intervention (counseling) , digital media , health care , psychology , digital health , nursing , medicine , medical education , sociology , world wide web , gender studies , social science , computer science , economics , economic growth
Abstract The objective of this study was to understand how participants referred to a childhood obesity intervention programme prefer to receive health information, and secondly, to determine acceptability of digital technologies such as a social media platform or IT application for programme engagement. This study includes a subset of interviews ( n = 64) of a wider study of the barriers and facilitators of engagement in a multidisciplinary healthy lifestyle programme for childhood obesity, based in Taranaki, Aotearoa/New Zealand. The topics of health information and social media and/or app use were covered in 53 and 30 interviews, respectively. Participants were parents and caregivers of children and adolescents referred to the programme, and interviews were mostly conducted in family homes. Findings showed that participants consulted a range of people, places and resources for information about their health, notably the internet, health professionals, and family and friends. Participants reported using the internet to complement or supplement information from health professionals. A strong relationship with health professionals built on trust was important. Use of digital technologies such as an IT application or social media platform for engagement with the programme was generally acceptable, with the caveat that this did not replace face‐to‐face communication with their primary care provider. In conclusion, the high usage of digital sources of health information requires accurate and reliable information. Digital technologies such as IT applications or social media platforms may have a role in terms of supplementing the patient journey; however, the importance of in‐person communication and an ongoing relationship with a health professional or practice remains paramount.