Abstract
BackgroundSocial media platforms provide new possibilities within health research. With Facebook being the largest social network in the world, it constitutes a potential platform for recruitment and data collection from women of reproductive age. Women in Denmark and in other Western countries postpone motherhood and risk infertility due to their advanced age when they try to conceive. To date, no study has explored Danish women’s reflections on the timing of motherhood within a social media setting.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the challenges and opportunities of using Facebook as a platform for qualitative health research in Danish women of reproductive age.MethodsThis study was a qualitative study based on 3 online focus groups on Facebook with 26 Danish women of reproductive age discussing the timing of motherhood in January 2020.ResultsConducting online focus groups on Facebook was successful in this study as the web-based approach was found suitable for developing qualitative data with women of reproductive age and made recruitment easy and free of charge. All participants found participating in an online focus group to be a positive experience. More than half of the women participating in the online focus groups found it advantageous to meet on Facebook instead of meeting face-to-face.ConclusionsConducting online focus groups on Facebook is a suitable method to access qualitative data from women of reproductive age. Participants were positive toward being a part of an online focus group. Online focus groups on social media have the potential to give women of reproductive age a voice in the debate of motherhood.
Highlights
Background of This StudyWithin the last decade, social media platforms have gained a prominent role in the way people communicate and interact with one another and have enabled people to be connected and accessible to a greater extent
This paper presents an exploration of a qualitative methodological approach using Facebook to collect data from women of reproductive age, discussing their thoughts on the timing of motherhood
The age range of the participants was 18-43 years, which was considered as a representative age span for women of reproductive age
Summary
Background of This StudyWithin the last decade, social media platforms have gained a prominent role in the way people communicate and interact with one another and have enabled people to be connected and accessible to a greater extent. With Facebook being the largest social network in the world, it constitutes a potential platform for recruitment and data collection from women of reproductive age. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the challenges and opportunities of using Facebook as a platform for qualitative health research in Danish women of reproductive age. Methods: This study was a qualitative study based on 3 online focus groups on Facebook with 26 Danish women of reproductive age discussing the timing of motherhood in January 2020. Results: Conducting online focus groups on Facebook was successful in this study as the web-based approach was found suitable for developing qualitative data with women of reproductive age and made recruitment easy and free of charge. Conclusions: Conducting online focus groups on Facebook is a suitable method to access qualitative data from women of reproductive age. Online focus groups on social media have the potential to give women of reproductive age a voice in the debate of motherhood
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