Fan Heidi Sze Lok, Leung Emily Tsz Yan, Lau Ka Wing, Wong Janet Yuen Ha, Choi Edmond Pui Hang, Lam Christine, Tarrant Marie, Ngan Hextan Yuen Sheung, Ip Patrick, Lin Chia Chin, Lok Kris Yuet Wan
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Academic Building, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong), 852 39176690.
JMIR Form Res. 2025 Jan 10;9:e64191. doi: 10.2196/64191.
Breastfeeding is vital for the health and well-being of both mothers and infants, and it is crucial to create supportive environments that promote and maintain breastfeeding practices.
The objective of this paper was to describe the development of a breastfeeding-friendly app called "bfGPS" (HKU TALIC), which provides comprehensive territory-wide information on breastfeeding facilities in Hong Kong, with the goal of fostering a breastfeeding-friendly community.
The development of bfGPS can be categorized into three phases, which are (1) planning, prototype development, and preimplementation evaluation; (2) implementation and updates; and (3) usability evaluation. In phase 1, a meeting was held with experts, including maternal and child health researchers, app developers, breastfeeding individuals, and health professionals, to discuss the focus and functionality of the breastfeeding app. A prototype was developed, and breastfeeding facilities in various public venues in Hong Kong were assessed using a structured checklist. For the preimplementation evaluation, 10 focus groups and 19 one-on-one interviews were conducted between May 2019 and October 2020 with staff working in public premises (n=29) and breastfeeding individuals (n=29). For phase 2, bfGPS was published on iOS (Apple Inc) and Android (Google) platforms in September 2020. App updates were launched in September 2021 and May 2022 based on the suggestions provided by the participants in the preimplementation evaluation. For the usability evaluation, semistructured, in-depth, one-to-one interviews were conducted with breastfeeding individuals (n=30) to understand their experiences of using bfGPS. Content analysis was used to analyze the data.
bfGPS is a mobile app that was developed to assist breastfeeding individuals in locating breastfeeding facilities in public venues in Hong Kong. In the preimplementation evaluation, the participants gave comments on the layout and interface of bfGPS, and suggestions were given on incorporating new functions into the app. Based on the suggestions of the participants in the preimplementation evaluation, a few additional functions were added into bfGPS, including allowing the users to rate and upload recent information about breastfeeding facilities and an infant tracker function that encourages users to record infant development. In the usability evaluation, 3 main themes emerged-bfGPS improves the community experience for breastfeeding individuals, facilitates tracking the infant's growth, and provides suggestions for further development.
The bfGPS app is the first user-friendly tool designed to assist users in locating breastfeeding facilities within the community. It stands as a guide for similar health care app developments, emphasizing the importance of accurate, current data to ensure user adoption and long-term use. The app's potential lies in the support and reinforcement of breastfeeding practices coupled with self-management strategies.
母乳喂养对母亲和婴儿的健康与福祉至关重要，营造促进和维持母乳喂养行为的支持性环境至关重要。
本文旨在描述一款名为“bfGPS”（香港大学TALIC）的母乳喂养友好型应用程序的开发情况，该应用程序提供香港全地区母乳喂养设施的全面信息，目标是培育一个母乳喂养友好型社区。
bfGPS的开发可分为三个阶段，即（1）规划、原型开发和实施前评估；（2）实施与更新；（3）可用性评估。在第一阶段，与包括母婴健康研究人员、应用程序开发者、母乳喂养者和卫生专业人员在内的专家举行了一次会议，讨论母乳喂养应用程序的重点和功能。开发了一个原型，并使用结构化清单对香港各公共场所的母乳喂养设施进行了评估。对于实施前评估，在2019年5月至2020年10月期间，对在公共场所工作的人员（n = 29）和母乳喂养者（n = 29）进行了10个焦点小组和19次一对一访谈。在第二阶段，bfGPS于2020年9月在iOS（苹果公司）和安卓（谷歌）平台上发布。根据实施前评估参与者提供的建议，于2021年9月和2022年5月推出了应用程序更新。对于可用性评估，对母乳喂养者（n = 30）进行了半结构化、深入的一对一访谈，以了解他们使用bfGPS的体验。采用内容分析法对数据进行分析。
bfGPS是一款移动应用程序，旨在帮助母乳喂养者在香港公共场所找到母乳喂养设施。在实施前评估中，参与者对bfGPS的布局和界面发表了评论，并就将新功能纳入应用程序提出了建议。根据实施前评估参与者的建议，bfGPS增加了一些额外功能，包括允许用户对母乳喂养设施进行评分并上传最新信息，以及一个鼓励用户记录婴儿发育情况的婴儿追踪功能。在可用性评估中，出现了3个主要主题——bfGPS改善了母乳喂养者的社区体验，便于追踪婴儿成长，并为进一步开发提供了建议。
bfGPS应用程序是首个旨在帮助用户在社区内找到母乳喂养设施的用户友好型工具。它为类似医疗保健应用程序的开发提供了指导，强调了准确、及时的数据对于确保用户采用和长期使用的重要性。该应用程序的潜力在于支持和加强母乳喂养行为以及自我管理策略。
