Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Nov;19(11):2536-43.
doi: 10.1007/s10995-015-1774-2.

The Role of Health Information Sources in Decision-Making Among Hispanic Mothers During Their Children's First 1000 Days of Life

Shaniece Criss  1 , Jennifer A Woo Baidal  2   3 , Roberta E Goldman  4   5 , Meghan Perkins  3 , Courtney Cunningham  3 , Elsie M Taveras  3
Affiliations

The Role of Health Information Sources in Decision-Making Among Hispanic Mothers During Their Children's First 1000 Days of Life

Shaniece Criss et al. Matern Child Health J. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: This qualitative research aimed to explore how health information sources inform decision-making among Hispanic mothers during their children's first 1000 days of life (conception-age 24 months), and to generate appropriate health information sources and communication strategies for future interventions.

Methods: We conducted seven focus groups with 49 Hispanic women who were pregnant or had children <2 years old. Domains included interpersonal and media sources, source trustworthiness, dealing with contradictory information, and how information affects decision-making. We used immersion/crystallization process for analysis.

Results: Trusted health information sources included health care providers, female and male family members, BabyCenter.com and other Internet sources, selected social media, and television. Some immigrant women reported preferring the Internet citing less established local support networks. Women highlighted the importance of validating health information through checking multiple sources for consistency and resolving contradictory information. Mothers expressed interest in receiving reliable website links from healthcare professionals and outreach to extended family.

Conclusions for practice: Cultural factors, including immigration status, are important in understanding the use of health information sources and their role in decision-making about pregnancy and child health among Hispanic mothers. Healthcare providers and public health professionals should consider Hispanic mothers health information environment and provide culturally-relevant communication strategies and interventions during this high information-seeking time period.

Keywords: Decision-making; Early childhood; Health information; Hispanic; Infants; Mothers; Pregnancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, et al. Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011–2012. JAMA. 2014;311(8):806–814. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Taveras EM, Gillman MW, Kleinman K, et al. Racial/ethnic differences in early-life risk factors for childhood obesity. Pediatrics Apr. 2010;125(4):686–695. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Oken E, Taveras EM, Kleinman KP, et al. Gestational weight gain and child adiposity at age 3 years. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007;196(4):322.e321–322.e328. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Whitaker RC, Wright JA, Pepe MS, et al. Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. N Engl J Med. 1997;337(13):869–873. - PubMed
    1. Black RE, Victora CG, Walker SP, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet. 2013;382(9890):427–451. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources