Preferences of women for web-based nutritional information in pregnancy

- Women use a range of unregulated online nutritional resources during pregnancy.
- There is minimal use of publically funded or academically supported resources.
- Women are at risk of receiving dietary advice which is not scientifically based.
- This study identified the features women want from a web-based nutrition resource.
- These findings may assist in the design of future evidence-based applications.

ObjectivesDuring pregnancy, women are increasingly turning to web-based resources for information. This study examined the use of web-based nutritional information by women during pregnancy and explored their preferences.Study designCross-sectional observational study.MethodsWomen were enrolled at their convenience from a large maternity hospital. Clinical and sociodemographic details were collected and women's use of web-based resources was assessed using a detailed questionnaire.ResultsOf the 101 women, 41.6% were nulliparous and the mean age was 33.1 years (19-47 years). All women had internet access and only 3% did not own a smartphone. Women derived pregnancy-related nutritional information from a range of online resources, most commonly: What to Expect When You're Expecting (15.1%), Babycenter (12.9%), and Eumom (9.7%). However, 24.7% reported using Google searches. There was minimal use of publically funded or academically supported resources. The features women wanted in a web-based application were recipes (88%), exercise advice (71%), personalized dietary feedback (37%), social features (35%), videos (24%) and cooking demonstrations (23%).ConclusionsThis survey highlights the risk that pregnant women may get nutritional information from online resources which are not evidence-based. It also identifies features that women want from a web-based nutritional resource.