Department of Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Centre for Lactation, Infant Feeding and Translation Research (LIFT), Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
Matern Child Nutr. 2021 Oct;17(4):e13227. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13227. Epub 2021 Jun 1.
The importance of support to breastfeeding success is well established, as are the difficulties many mothers face in accessing the support they need. With the majority of UK mothers now accessing social media for support, Breastfeeding Support Facebook (BSF) groups have increased exponentially. BSF groups vary in type (local or national/international) and in moderation-overseen by breastfeeding mothers and by midwives or trained lactation specialists. Some groups aimed at supporting mothers in a specific geographical area also have associated face-to-face groups, facilitated as either professional or peer support. Little is currently known about these specific local groups, their prevalence, impact or value to mothers. This paper examines mothers' experiences of using local BSF groups and why they value them as part of a larger study exploring the impact of midwife moderation on these groups. An online survey consisting of open and closed questions was completed by 2028 mothers. Findings identified that local BSF groups are widely used and highly valued for their connection with local face-to-face services and other mothers. They offer access to expertise and shared experience in a format mothers find convenient and timely, improving confidence and self-efficacy. Local BSF groups enable the formation of support networks and development of breastfeeding knowledge that mothers credit with increased well-being, motivation and breastfeeding duration. As such, they have the potential to add value to local face-to-face services and improve breastfeeding experiences and knowledge in communities. The findings have important implications to support the development of integrated online interventions to improve public health.
支持母乳喂养成功的重要性已经得到充分证实，许多母亲在获得所需支持方面所面临的困难也是如此。随着大多数英国母亲现在通过社交媒体寻求支持，母乳喂养支持 Facebook（BSF）群组数量呈指数级增长。BSF 群组在类型（本地或国家/国际）和管理方式（由母乳喂养母亲和助产士或经过培训的哺乳专家监督）上存在差异。一些旨在为特定地理区域的母亲提供支持的群组也有相关的面对面群组，这些群组由专业人士或同行提供支持。目前，人们对这些特定的本地群组知之甚少，包括它们的流行程度、影响或对母亲的价值。本文探讨了母亲使用本地 BSF 群组的经验，以及为什么她们将其视为一项更大的研究的一部分，该研究旨在探索助产士对这些群组的管理的影响。一项在线调查由 2028 位母亲完成，其中包括开放式和封闭式问题。研究结果表明，本地 BSF 群组被广泛使用且深受重视，因为它们与本地面对面服务和其他母亲联系紧密。它们提供了在母亲认为方便和及时的格式中获取专业知识和共享经验的机会，从而提高了信心和自我效能感。本地 BSF 群组使支持网络的形成和母乳喂养知识的发展成为可能，母亲们认为这提高了她们的幸福感、动力和母乳喂养时间。因此，它们有可能为本地面对面服务增值，并改善社区中的母乳喂养体验和知识。这些发现对支持开发综合在线干预措施以改善公共卫生具有重要意义。
