Diversification alimentaire : l’information disponible sur Internet est-elle en accord avec les recommandations des sociétés savantes ?

Information seeking of French parents regarding infant and young child feeding: practices, needs and determinants

OBJECTIVE

As part of an update of feeding benchmarks targeting children aged 0-3 years, this study aimed to explore parental perceptions, information-seeking practices and needs concerning infant and young child feeding (IYCF) to design an efficient communication strategy.

DESIGN

Participants were recruited using the quota sampling to complete an online survey. Effects of parity, child age, prematurity, parental education and financial situation on parents' responses were evaluated separately.

SETTING

France.

PARTICIPANTS

A nationally representative sample of 1001 parents of children <4 years.

RESULTS

Parents whose child had any medical condition affecting feeding (children with medical condition (CMC), 17 %) were considered separately from healthy children's parents. All the healthy children's parents recognised the importance of IYCF for children's health and growth; however, one-third considered the available advice contradictory and not guilt-free. The most used information sources were healthcare professionals (HCP, 81 %), internet (72 %) and parental networks (63 %). The most influential sources (mean influence ± sd) included HCP (7·7 ± 1·7/10), childcare professionals (7·3 ± 1·8/10) and parental networks (6·9 ± 1·8/10). Parents searched for practical tips for implementing IYCF starting when their child was 5 months old. Differences regarding the type of source used by parents with higher v. lower educations were small. Search strategies differed according to parity or child age but not to prematurity. The CMC parents reported slightly different practices and needs.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents receive information from multiple sources, which can lead to confusion when deciding which advice to follow. A public health communication strategy adapted to the current parental needs should target these various sources.

An evaluation of Spanish and English on-line information sources regarding pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period

OBJECTIVE

the aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of web pages found by women when carrying out an exploratory search concerning pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period and breastfeeding.

DESIGN/SETTING

a descriptive study of the first 25 web pages that appear in the search engines Google, Yahoo and Bing, in October 2014 in the Basque Country (Spain), when entering eight Spanish words and seven English words related to pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, breastfeeding and newborns. Web pages aimed at healthcare professionals and forums were excluded. The reliability was evaluated using the LIDA questionnaire, and the contents of the web pages with the highest scores were then described.

FINDINGS

a total of 126 web pages were found using the key search words. Of these, 14 scored in the top 30% for reliability. The content analysis of these found that the mean score for "references to the source of the information" was 3.4 (SD: 2.17), that for "up-to-date" was 4.30 (SD: 1.97) and the score for "conflict of interest statement" was 5.90 (SD: 2.16). The mean for web pages created by universities and official bodies was 13.64 (SD: 4.47), whereas the mean for those created by private bodies was 11.23 (SD: 4.51) (F (1,124)5.27. p=0.02). The content analysis of these web pages found that the most commonly discussed topic was breastfeeding, followed by self-care during pregnancy and the onset of childbirth.

CONCLUSION

in this study, web pages from established healthcare or academic institutions were found to contain the most reliable information. The significant number of web pages found in this study with poor quality information indicates the need for healthcare professionals to guide women when sourcing information online. As the origin of the web page has a direct effect on reliability, the involvement of healthcare professionals in the use, counselling and generation of new technologies as an intervention tool is increasingly essential.

[Gluten: Is the information available on the Internet valid?]

BACKGROUND

Internet provides easy access to health information, but the quality and validity of this information vary.

OBJECTIVES

Evaluate the quality of website structures and the information provided on celiac disease (CD), gluten sensitivity (GS), and wheat allergy (WA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The websites addressing CD, GS, and WA appearing on the first two pages of Google, Yahoo, and Bing from seven selected queries were investigated. We initially assessed the website structures with one instrument (Netscoring) and the presence of certification (quality label Health On the Net (HON code)). Then we evaluated the content of each website concerning the information about CD, GS, and WA. Our repository was based on the most recent guidelines of the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) published in 2012. The websites were classified into eight categories.

RESULTS

One hundred and five websites were included. Twenty-one websites obtained a sufficient score with the Netscoring instrument (average 113.6/312). There was a significant correlation between the referenced websites analyzed and the grades obtained with the Netscoring instrument (Pearson=0.39, P=0.2×10^-5): websites of scientific societies (11.8/18), community websites (9.44/18), and website associations (9.4/18). There was a significant correlation between the results obtained for the websites on CD, GS, and WA and the results obtained for the websites with the Netscoring instruments (Pearson=0.41, P=2.6×10^-6). Only three websites were consistent with the guidelines on CD, GS, and WA.

CONCLUSION

The websites were partially in agreement with the guidelines. To date, the pediatrician remains the main actor in parental guidance concerning gluten information.