“Dear Internet, what should I do when…?”: parents’ digital media behaviour when searching for information on children’s health in Switzerland

Baumann, Isabelle; Jaks, Rebecca; Robin, Dominik; Juvalta, Sibylle; Dratva, Julia

Publication type:	Conference poster
Type of review:	Peer review (abstract)
Title:	“Dear Internet, what should I do when…?”: parents’ digital media behaviour when searching for information on children’s health in Switzerland
Authors:	Baumann, Isabelle Jaks, Rebecca Robin, Dominik Juvalta, Sibylle Dratva, Julia
Conference details:	Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018
Issue Date:	2018
Language:	English
Subject (DDC):	302: Social interaction 610: Medicine and health
Abstract:	Background Little is known on parental use of digital media when it comes to children’s health in Switzerland, although digital native are becoming parents and the overall use is high. We investigated how, when and for which reasons parents utilize digital media in this context. Methods A random sample of parents with children age 0-2.5 yrs in the canton of Zürich. received an online and paper questionnaire on use of digital media on child health, child and parental socio- demographic and health and the German eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). Qualitative data was collected in a focus group. Descriptive and regression analyses are planned. Results Participation rate was 40% (394 online, 338 on paper). Preliminary results relate to online sample: 337 mothers and 57 fathers; mean age 35.8 sd 3.7 and 38.2 sd 6.4, respectively; mean age of youngest child 14.7 months, sd 7.1; number of children 1.6, sd 0.7. 34% of parents searching for general child health information used print media. 92% used digital media, reasons being 24/7 availability (76%), up to date information (34%) good experience (34%). 24% of parents searching for information on acute health problems resort to print and 82% to digital media for similar reasons. Parents search digital information on nutrition (24%), child development (20%), regulatory disturbance (18%), general information on acute health problem (47%) and alternative treatment options (40%). Preliminary data analysis yields heterogeneity of utilization by health questions and socio-demographic characteristics. Both in questionnaire and focus group parents voice a wish for guidance. Conclusions Parents frequently use digital media on child health related topics. They differentiate when and whom they trust, depending on the context, and constitute strengths and limitations of digital information. Guiding and enabling parents to use digital media may impact positively on parental health literacy.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/14627
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Public Health (IPH)
Published as part of the ZHAW project:	Digitale Elternratgeber
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Baumann, I., Jaks, R., Robin, D., Juvalta, S., & Dratva, J. (2018). “Dear Internet, what should I do when…?”: parents’ digital media behaviour when searching for information on children’s health in Switzerland. Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018.

Baumann, I. et al. (2018) ‘“Dear Internet, what should I do when…?”: parents’ digital media behaviour when searching for information on children’s health in Switzerland’, in Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018.

I. Baumann, R. Jaks, D. Robin, S. Juvalta, and J. Dratva, ““Dear Internet, what should I do when…?”: parents’ digital media behaviour when searching for information on children’s health in Switzerland,” in Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018, 2018.

BAUMANN, Isabelle, Rebecca JAKS, Dominik ROBIN, Sibylle JUVALTA und Julia DRATVA, 2018. “Dear Internet, what should I do when…?”: parents’ digital media behaviour when searching for information on children’s health in Switzerland. In: Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018. Conference poster. 2018

Baumann, Isabelle, Rebecca Jaks, Dominik Robin, Sibylle Juvalta, and Julia Dratva. 2018. ““Dear Internet, What Should I Do When…?”: Parents’ Digital Media Behaviour When Searching for Information on Children’s Health in Switzerland.” Conference poster. In Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018.

Baumann, Isabelle, et al. ““Dear Internet, What Should I Do When…?”: Parents’ Digital Media Behaviour When Searching for Information on Children’s Health in Switzerland.” Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018, 2018.