Internet usage among pregnant women for seeking health information

Internet usage among pregnant women for seeking health information

Introduction

Pregnancy is one of the most crucial moments in the life of a woman. Pregnancy is linked with changes in physical; however, associated health decisions during the pregnancy period are essential and play a role in the life of the unborn child and the mother. Pregnant women need information related to health to secure their health and have future health delivery. This information allows women to reduce and recognize complications associated with pregnancy, such as iron deficiency known as anemia and also to conduct behaviors related to health such as increased usage of folic acid and enough iron during pregnancy, improved neonatal birth weight, and appropriate weight gain.

Childbirth and pregnancy are an initial period of development in the life of a woman. Access to useful and relevant information at this time is essential to expectant mothers (Deave, Johnson, & Ingram, 2008; Johansson, Rubertsson, Rådestad, & Hildingsson, 2010). Preparation for prenatal care can efficiently result in a reduction of adverse outcomes for both the unborn and the mother (McKenzie, 2002). According to the World Health Organization in 2014, each day, about 800 women pass away as a result of pregnancy or childbirth-related problems around the universe. Metal mortality is higher in women living in rural areas and among communities experiencing low-income. The high number of maternal death is recorded in these areas of the world; it indicates the lack of access to health services and information. Women in remote regions are the least likely to receive adequate health care as a result of the low number of skilled health workers in these regions. While the value of prenatal concern has been developed in many areas of the world over the past decade, only 46% of women benefit from sufficient care during childbirth.

Pregnant mothers gather information from the internet during pregnancy to prepare themselves for their maternal duties. As a result, they expose themselves to varieties of information opportunities and sources for antenatal education. A study conducted by Haskins, Zager, Holt, and Maland in 2016 indicates that a large number of pregnant women make use of the internet and public libraries to acquire adequate and relevant information. This is the first and most vital decision to help expectant mothers to make informed decisions (Hsieh and Brennan, 2005). The quality of the information gathered or obtained, depending on the type of information available to the user. They claim that the information they get assists them to lower the degree of uncertainty. Although pregnant mothers would like to receive information from the professionals of health care, other alternatives source of information such as the internet has been so helpful to them.

The advantage of gathering information requirements for pregnant mothers has attracted the attention of the government and many researchers. Considering and identifying the importance of development education programs to pregnant women effectively is essential in improving their responsibilities. In recent years the internet has served as a source of health information for expectant mothers. This circumstance has been encouraged by the ease of access, and there is proof to show that pregnant women are more likely to search for information at particular periods in pregnancy and response to specific conditions. For instance, they are looking for health-associated information instead of meeting health professionals.

Although pregnancy is a natural condition in the life of a woman, pregnancy cares generally involves prenatal testing and medical monitoring, which can be provoking. Consequently, most pregnant women utilize information from the internet, and as a means to assist them in handling doubts and in navigating pregnancy-associated decisions. A survey conducted nationwide in the United States revealed that more than three-quarters of pregnant women turn to the internet to acquire information about birth and pregnancy (Declercq ER et al., 2007). Widespread use of the internet by pregnant women in others is also recorded in other states such as Sweden. Another study conducted in Sweden also shows that the majority of the pregnant participants gathered information from the internet on one or more occasions to acquire information on childbirth, pregnancy, or the expected infant. The majority of pregnant participants, approximately 79%, had obtained information from the internet last month, and the frequency of searches on the internet changed from once a month to 62 times a month (Larsson M, 2009).

Although the internet is utilized widely, one of the problems is the inability to judge the accuracy and quality of the retrieved information, and many folks searching online for advice concerning health believes the information and advice they find, as reported in a previous British study. It is a concern that internet acquired information cannot always be reliable. Indeed this lack of reliability is appropriately identified, and a systematic meta-analysis of health website analysis found that the majority of evaluations (70%) concluded that the value of information was a problem on the internet (Eysenbach G et al. 2002). Lack of clear instructions and guidelines for the internet user may result in this dilemma. Thus it can be a problem for pregnant women to distinguish inappropriate internet sources. Several studies corroborate this finding and conclude that internet users are hesitant about the reliability of the health information acquired from the internet. Without proper guidance, data obtained from the internet can be harmful, confusing, and overwhelming. Although the use of the internet during the pregnancy period provides an opportunity to share doubts and apprehensions with other women, it can also result in increased and unjustifiable anxiety.