Women’s Use of Digital Media for Pregnancy & Parenting

Deborah LuptonNews & Media Research CentreUniversity of Canberra

Twitter: @DALupton

Email: deborah.lupton@canberra.edu.au

Intersections of research interests

pregnancy + motherhood

digital health

big data cultures

digital sociology

digitised children

Current projects (with Sarah Pedersen + Gareth Thomas)

1. Pregnancy and Parenting Apps Study: survey and focus groups completed with Australian women currently pregnant or had given birth in the last 3 years - interviews with UK women currently in progress

2. Mumsnet Study: analysis of posts on this British online forum for parents

3. Pregnancy Apps Content Analysis Study: critical content analysis of pregnancy apps in Apple App Store and Google Play

Pregnancy and Parenting Apps Study - sources of data

Part 1: Survey of 410 women around Australia (every state and territory, aged 18—45), November 2014

Part 2: Four focus groups in Sydney (36 women aged 23– 42), May 2015

Survey respondents: state/territory

NSW33%

VIC24%

QLD19%

SA6%

WA8%

TAS3%

ACT5%

NT1%

State

Women’s sources of information/support - digital

online search tools (Google)

online parenting websites (Baby Center, Essential Baby, Raising Children, baby clubs)

news sites and blogs (Mamamia)

apps (Wonder Weeks, Huggies, Baby Bump)

social media (Facebook, Instagram)

YouTube (information videos)

Women’s sources of information/support – non-digital

healthcare professionals

friends and family

books and pamphlets

television (documentaries)

73% of the respondents had used a pregnancy app

1 app37%

2-4 apps57%

5+6%

Ever used pregnancy app (73%)

daily28%

few times per week24%

weekly24%

monthly9%

occasionally16%

How often used apps

What were pregnancy apps used for?

• information about their baby’s development : 86%• information about changes in their body related to

pregnancy: 71%• tracking aspects of their body, such as weight gain or diet:

33%• online discussions with other pregnant women : 27%• tracking aspects of their baby, such as its heart rate: 18%• keeping track of information about their medical

appointments, test results and so on: 18%• for keeping a pregnancy journal: 14%• for uploading and storing photos of themselves while

pregnant: 9%• for uploading and storing foetal ultrasound images: 4%• other: 5%

How useful were these pregnancy apps?

• 92% of those who used apps said that they found them useful or helpful

• apps gave useful information : 83%• helped women monitor their foetus’s development : 70%• helped women monitor changes in their own body: 59%• provided reassurance: 58%• helped the women connect with other pregnant women: 24%• helped women keep track of their medical appointments and

other medical details: 16%• helped the women share information about their pregnancy with

friends and family: 14%• helped the women store photographs or videos of their changing

body: 9%• helped the women store ultrasound images of the foetus: 3%

For pregnancy info/support

Facebook18% YouTube

7%

websites47%

online support forums

21%

none7%

Use of digital media other than apps