Nikita Wheaton1, Jacinta Lenehan2, Lisa H Amir3. 1. 1 South West Healthcare, Camperdown, Australia. 2. 2 South West Healthcare, Warrnambool, Australia. 3. 3 Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: New mothers often need support to establish and maintain breastfeeding, and rural women may find it difficult to access breastfeeding resources locally. There are many smartphone applications for breastfeeding mothers; however, very few have been developed by health professionals. We evaluated a smartphone application, Breastfeeding Solutions, developed by U.S. IBCLC Nancy Mohrbacher. Research aims: The aims were (a) to explore usability of the application among rural Australian breastfeeding women and (b) to describe participants' infant feeding outcomes compared with the general population. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal self-report survey design was used. Data were collected via online questionnaires at baseline and at 3 and 6 months from a convenience sample of new mothers. The setting was southwest Victoria, Australia, from 2016 to 2017. Descriptive statistics were used to answer research aims. RESULTS: Of the initial 46 participants who received the app, 63% ( n = 29) completed surveys at 3 and 6 months. Usability was assessed at 3 months: 93.5% of participants (29 of 31) rated the application favorably, whereas 96.8% (30 of 31) found the application helpful and 87.1% (27 of 31) would recommend it to other mothers. At the 6-month survey, 79% of participants ( n = 23) were breastfeeding; 10% ( n = 3) had stopped breastfeeding during the first 3 months. The local breastfeeding rate at 6 months was approximately 50% according to routinely collected data; however, we cannot infer that the application was responsible for the difference. CONCLUSION: The smartphone application was acceptable to breastfeeding women in an Australian rural setting. Further evaluation using a user-centered design could improve rural postpartum women's access to reliable, evidence-based information.
BACKGROUND: New mothers often need support to establish and maintain breastfeeding, and rural women may find it difficult to access breastfeeding resources locally. There are many smartphone applications for breastfeeding mothers; however, very few have been developed by health professionals. We evaluated a smartphone application, Breastfeeding Solutions, developed by U.S. IBCLC Nancy Mohrbacher. Research aims: The aims were (a) to explore usability of the application among rural Australian breastfeeding women and (b) to describe participants' infant feeding outcomes compared with the general population. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal self-report survey design was used. Data were collected via online questionnaires at baseline and at 3 and 6 months from a convenience sample of new mothers. The setting was southwest Victoria, Australia, from 2016 to 2017. Descriptive statistics were used to answer research aims. RESULTS: Of the initial 46 participants who received the app, 63% ( n = 29) completed surveys at 3 and 6 months. Usability was assessed at 3 months: 93.5% of participants (29 of 31) rated the application favorably, whereas 96.8% (30 of 31) found the application helpful and 87.1% (27 of 31) would recommend it to other mothers. At the 6-month survey, 79% of participants ( n = 23) were breastfeeding; 10% ( n = 3) had stopped breastfeeding during the first 3 months. The local breastfeeding rate at 6 months was approximately 50% according to routinely collected data; however, we cannot infer that the application was responsible for the difference. CONCLUSION: The smartphone application was acceptable to breastfeeding women in an Australian rural setting. Further evaluation using a user-centered design could improve rural postpartum women's access to reliable, evidence-based information.
Authors: Laurie B Griffin; Julia D López; Megan L Ranney; George A Macones; Alison G Cahill; Adam K Lewkowitz Journal: Breastfeed Med Date: 2021-04-07 Impact factor: 2.335
Authors: Maya Bunik; Andrea Jimenez-Zambrano; Michael Solano; Brenda L Beaty; Elizabeth Juarez-Colunga; Xuhong Zhang; Susan L Moore; Sheana Bull; Jenn A Leiferman Journal: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Date: 2022-08-24 Impact factor: 3.105
Authors: Adam K Lewkowitz; Julia D López; Erika F Werner; Megan L Ranney; George A Macones; Dwight J Rouse; David A Savitz; Alison G Cahill Journal: Breastfeed Med Date: 2020-10-20 Impact factor: 1.817