TY - JOUR
T1 - The faces of breastfeeding support : experiences of mothers seeking breastfeeding support online
AU - Bridges, Nicole
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - The aim of this study was to advance understanding of the experiences of mothers using closed Facebook groups attached to the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) and how these mothers find and share breastfeeding support and information using this forum. The study involved members of three closed Facebook groups that were chosen as interesting cases for study, based on the volume and nature of their posts. Members of these three groups then participated in online depth interviews and online semi-structured focus groups. The overarching theme identified was support, with four sub-themes that describe the nature of online breastfeeding support within the Facebook environment. These sub-themes are: community, complementary, immediate and information. It was found that social networking sites (SNSs) provide support from the trusted community. It is immediate, it complements existing support or services that ABA provides and also provides practical and valuable information for its users.
AB - The aim of this study was to advance understanding of the experiences of mothers using closed Facebook groups attached to the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) and how these mothers find and share breastfeeding support and information using this forum. The study involved members of three closed Facebook groups that were chosen as interesting cases for study, based on the volume and nature of their posts. Members of these three groups then participated in online depth interviews and online semi-structured focus groups. The overarching theme identified was support, with four sub-themes that describe the nature of online breastfeeding support within the Facebook environment. These sub-themes are: community, complementary, immediate and information. It was found that social networking sites (SNSs) provide support from the trusted community. It is immediate, it complements existing support or services that ABA provides and also provides practical and valuable information for its users.
KW - Australian Breastfeeding Association
KW - Facebook
KW - breastfeeding
KW - online social networks
KW - peer support
UR - http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/uws:35156
UR - http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=057630224327209;res=IELAPA
M3 - Article
C2 - 27188074
SN - 0729-2759
VL - 24
SP - 11
EP - 20
JO - Breastfeeding Review
JF - Breastfeeding Review
IS - 1
ER -