Pregnancy and health in the age of the Internet: A content analysis of online "birth club" forums.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although studies report that more than 90% of pregnant women utilize digital sources to supplement their maternal healthcare, little is known about the kinds of information that women seek from their peers during pregnancy. To date, most research has used self-report measures to elucidate how and why women to turn to digital sources during pregnancy. However, given that these measures may differ from actual utilization of online health information, it is important to analyze the online content pregnant women generate.

Objective

To apply machine learning methods to analyze online pregnancy forums, to better understand how women seek information from a community of online peers during pregnancy.

Methods

Data from seven WhatToExpect.com "birth club" forums (Se

SUBMITTER: Wexler A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7156049 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature