Supthanasup Abhirat, Banwell Cathy, Kelly Matthew, Yiengprugsawan Vasoontara Sbirakos, Davis Jenny L
Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
School of Human Ecology, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Matern Child Nutr. 2021 Apr;17(2):e13095. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13095. Epub 2020 Nov 30.
Parents' child feeding practices are influenced not only by family but also by a broader circle of networks, including online groups. Peer-to-peer platforms such as Facebook groups facilitate a learning environment and may influence the transmission of user-generated content into practice. These digital data not only benefit participants but also offer new opportunities for researchers to study related phenomena. Therefore, this study employs thematic content analysis to investigate peer-exchanging discourse conveyed in Facebook peer-support groups in children's diets in Thailand. To identify the area of interest, we classified and quantified the initial posts and investigated the relationship between initial posts' contents and community engagement. Thematic analysis was used to qualitatively describe the peer-exchanging content that responded to the initial posts. Of the five approved Facebook groups, 200 initial posts with their 1964 comments were extracted anonymously. Results revealed that Facebook groups devoted to diets for children have become a platform for Thai parents to seek informational and emotional support. The top-ranked initial posts were related to requesting knowledge and skills about age-appropriate food and meal preparation. Parents have also expressed anxiety about feeding and tension related to food fussiness which created the need for emotional support. Age-appropriate feeding, homemade baby foods, concerns about food seasonings and food allergy awareness were observable within online groups. However, a shift from traditional child feeding practices to new ideas created cultural gaps which lead to arguments in some families. Understanding these views would help guide to address parental concerns better.
父母的儿童喂养行为不仅受到家庭的影响，还受到更广泛的社交网络圈子的影响，包括在线群组。像脸书群组这样的对等平台营造了一个学习环境，并可能影响用户生成内容转化为实际行动。这些数字数据不仅使参与者受益，也为研究人员研究相关现象提供了新机会。因此，本研究采用主题内容分析法，调查泰国脸书儿童饮食同伴支持群组中同伴交流的话语。为确定感兴趣的领域，我们对初始帖子进行分类和量化，并研究初始帖子内容与社区参与度之间的关系。主题分析用于定性描述回应初始帖子的同伴交流内容。在五个获批的脸书群组中，匿名提取了200条初始帖子及其1964条评论。结果显示，致力于儿童饮食的脸书群组已成为泰国父母寻求信息和情感支持的平台。排名靠前的初始帖子与询问关于适合儿童年龄的食物及膳食准备的知识和技能有关。父母们还表达了对喂养的焦虑以及与食物挑剔相关的紧张情绪，这产生了对情感支持的需求。在在线群组中可以观察到适合年龄的喂养、自制婴儿食品、对食物调味料的关注以及食物过敏意识。然而，从传统儿童喂养行为向新观念的转变造成了文化差异，在一些家庭中引发了争论。了解这些观点将有助于更好地指导解决父母的担忧。
