Low-Income Mothers’ Use of Technology to Find Nutrition Information: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Pregnant and breastfeeding women are motivated to improve their diets for the health of their infants, but have difficulty maintaining changes postpartum or post-breastfeeding. Tailoring nutrition education to the mother-infant dyad versus individually, and providing mothers with information on the continued connection between them and their infants, may be effective at promoting healthful behaviors for both. However, low-income mothers report barriers to in-person education; technology may therefore help reach this audience. The objective of this study was to explore the receptivity of low-income mothers to the use of technology in providing nutrition education for themselves, their infants and families. Methods Women with a child <3 years were recruited through WIC to participate in focus groups. Topics explored were sources of nutrition information for themselves, infants and families, and use of technology to find information. Groups were recorded, transcribed and analyzed with N-Vivo to develop overarching themes. Results African American, Hispanic and White (N = 13) women participated in 4 mixed groups. Overarching themes developed from the data are (1) Prioritization: Women seek health information (from any source) for their infants and family, not themselves; (2) Context: Women accept nutrition information from health professionals, but seek to make it relevant to their lives through social networks, both personal and online; (3) Online Usage: Women seek nutrition information online in the same manner they do with other topics, including the platforms used (social media), at the time information is needed, and valuing resources they consider appropriate to their individual needs and their culture, values and lifestyles. Health professional sources online are not prioritized. Conclusions Online resources are currently used by low-income mothers as support for implementing nutrition information. Making use of this technology to provide education that is relevant, but also-evidence based, is needed. Funding Sources NIFA USDA Hatch Grant.