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Effect of Motherhood on Women’s Preferences for Sources of Health Information: A Prospective Cohort Study

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Abstract

To examine what sources of health information are preferred by first-time mothers-to-be and how these preferences change by the time their child reaches school age. Women expecting their first child (n = 649), recruited in a randomized trial of early childhood caries prevention at all five public maternity hospitals in Adelaide, were questioned about their preferences for health information. Their preferences were assessed again 4 and 7 years later. Answers at 7 years were compared with those of a population-based cohort of mothers with a first child of the same age. Parents were listed most frequently as a preferred source of health information during pregnancy (67.8%) followed by health care practitioners (48.8%). By the time the child reached school age, 78% listed health care practitioners as their preferred source compared with 15.5% listing parents, 21.7% friends and relatives, and 13% the Internet. Data from the population-based comparison group of mothers with a first child of similar age mimicked those of mothers enrolled in the trial. Mothers put a lot more trust in information received from health care professionals than they did before their child was born. This can create opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of community health initiatives.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Professor A. John Spencer of the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health for guidance and to Dr. Andrew Chartier and Andrew Hall of the South Australian School Dental Service for constructing the comparison group. We also thank the mothers who participated in the study. This study was supported by NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence, Adelaide, South Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, School of Dentistry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Kamila Plutzer

  2. Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine, Flinders University, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia

    Marc J. N. C. Keirse

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  1. Kamila Plutzer
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  2. Marc J. N. C. Keirse
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Correspondence to Marc J. N. C. Keirse.

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Plutzer, K., Keirse, M.J.N.C. Effect of Motherhood on Women’s Preferences for Sources of Health Information: A Prospective Cohort Study. J Community Health 37, 799–803 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9513-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9513-0

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