Infant Feeding Websites and Apps: A Systematic Assessment of Quality and Content

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Abstract

Background

Internet websites and smartphone apps have become a popular resource to guide parents in their children’s feeding and nutrition. Given the diverse range of websites and apps on infant feeding, the quality of information in these resources should be assessed to identify whether consumers have access to credible and reliable information.

Objective

This systematic analysis provides perspectives on the information available about infant feeding on websites and smartphone apps.

Methods

A systematic analysis was conducted to assess the quality, comprehensibility, suitability, and readability of websites and apps on infant feeding using a developed tool. Google and Bing were used to search for websites from Australia, while the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android were used to search for apps. Specified key words including baby feeding, breast feeding, formula feeding and introducing solids were used to assess websites and apps addressing feeding advice. Criteria for assessing the accuracy of the content were developed using the Australian Infant Feeding Guidelines.

Results

A total of 600 websites and 2884 apps were screened, and 44 websites and 46 apps met the selection criteria and were analyzed. Most of the websites (26/44) and apps (43/46) were noncommercial, some websites (10/44) and 1 app were commercial and there were 8 government websites; 2 apps had university endorsement. The majority of the websites and apps were rated poor quality. There were two websites that had 100% coverage of information compared to those rated as fair or poor that had low coverage. Two-thirds of the websites (65%) and almost half of the apps (47%) had a readability level above the 8th grade level.

Conclusions

The findings of this unique analysis highlight the potential for website and app developers to merge user requirements with evidence-based content to ensure that information on infant feeding is of high quality. There are currently no apps available to consumers that address a variety of infant feeding topics. To keep up with the rapid turnover of the evolving technology, health professionals need to consider developing an app that will provide consumers with a credible and reliable source of information about infant feeding, using quality assessment tools and evidence-based content.

Related collections

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Empirical studies assessing the quality of health information for consumers on the world wide web: a systematic review.

Gunther Eysenbach, John Powell, Oliver Kuss … (2002)

The quality of consumer health information on the World Wide Web is an important issue for medicine, but to date no systematic and comprehensive synthesis of the methods and evidence has been performed. To establish a methodological framework on how quality on the Web is evaluated in practice, to determine the heterogeneity of the results and conclusions, and to compare the methodological rigor of these studies, to determine to what extent the conclusions depend on the methodology used, and to suggest future directions for research. We searched MEDLINE and PREMEDLINE (1966 through September 2001), Science Citation Index (1997 through September 2001), Social Sciences Citation Index (1997 through September 2001), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1997 through September 2001), LISA (1969 through July 2001), CINAHL (1982 through July 2001), PsychINFO (1988 through September 2001), EMBASE (1988 through June 2001), and SIGLE (1980 through June 2001). We also conducted hand searches, general Internet searches, and a personal bibliographic database search. We included published and unpublished empirical studies in any language in which investigators searched the Web systematically for specific health information, evaluated the quality of Web sites or pages, and reported quantitative results. We screened 7830 citations and retrieved 170 potentially eligible full articles. A total of 79 distinct studies met the inclusion criteria, evaluating 5941 health Web sites and 1329 Web pages, and reporting 408 evaluation results for 86 different quality criteria. Two reviewers independently extracted study characteristics, medical domains, search strategies used, methods and criteria of quality assessment, results (percentage of sites or pages rated as inadequate pertaining to a quality criterion), and quality and rigor of study methods and reporting. Most frequently used quality criteria used include accuracy, completeness, readability, design, disclosures, and references provided. Fifty-five studies (70%) concluded that quality is a problem on the Web, 17 (22%) remained neutral, and 7 studies (9%) came to a positive conclusion. Positive studies scored significantly lower in search (P =.02) and evaluation (P =.04) methods. Due to differences in study methods and rigor, quality criteria, study population, and topic chosen, study results and conclusions on health-related Web sites vary widely. Operational definitions of quality criteria are needed.

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The Internet has become a favored source to find health information. Worldwide, about 4.5% of all Internet searches are for health-related information. However, research has found that the quality of online health information is mixed, which raises serious concerns about the impact of this information. This paper reviews relevant research to understand how health information on the Internet is retrieved, evaluated, and used. Most users of online health information are looking for information about specific health conditions because they or someone they know was diagnosed with a medical condition. They typically use general search engines to find online health information and enter short phrases, often misspelled. They seldom go beyond the first page of a search. Both their search and evaluation skills are limited although they are concerned about the quality of online health information. They avoid sites with overt commercialism, but often do not pay attention to indicators of credibility. Online health information is used to fill an information void which can enhance coping and self efficacy, affects health-related decisions and behavior of users and their friends and family, and is often discussed with health care providers. There are cross-cultural differences in the types of sites used as well as how online information is used. Based on the research reviewed in this paper, three major recommendations are suggested. Professionals should recommend sites. Professionals should promote more effective search and evaluation techniques. Professionals should be involved in developing and promoting uniform standards for health and mental health sites.

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Smartphone applications for pain management.

Christopher Eccleston, B R Simon Rosser (2010)

Smartphone applications (or apps) are becoming increasingly popular. The lack of regulation or guidance for health-related apps means that the validity and reliability of their content is unknown. We have conducted a review of available apps relating to the generic condition of pain. The official application stores for five major smartphone platforms were searched: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Nokia/Symbian and Windows Mobile. Apps were included if they reported a focus on pain education, management or relief, and were not solely aimed at health-care professionals (HCPs). A total of 111 apps met the inclusion criteria. The majority of apps reviewed claimed some information provision or electronic manual component. Diary tracking of pain variables was also a common feature. There was a low level of stated HCP involvement in app development and content. Despite an increasing number of apps being released, the frequency of HCP involvement is not increasing. Pain apps appear to be able to promise pain relief without any concern for the effectiveness of the product, or for possible adverse effects of product use. In a population often desperate for a solution to distressing and debilitating pain conditions, there is considerable risk of individuals being misled.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Sarah Taki:

Faculty of HealthUniversity of Technology SydneyBuilding 10235 Jones StreetSydney, Australia61 2 9514 200061 2 9514 4835sarah.b.taki@student.uts.edu.au

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7228-8993

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Interact J Med Res

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Interact J Med Res

Journal ID (publisher-id): IJMR

Title: Interactive Journal of Medical Research

Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc. (Toronto, Canada )

ISSN (Electronic): 1929-073X

Publication date Collection: Jul-Sep 2015

Publication date (Electronic): 29 September 2015

Volume: 4

Issue: 3

Electronic Location Identifier: e18

Affiliations

[1] ¹Faculty of Health University of Technology Sydney SydneyAustralia

[2] ²Centre for Obesity Management and Prevention Research Excellence in Primary Health Care (COMPaRE-PHC) SydneyAustralia

[3] ³Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research Deakin University MelbourneAustralia

Author notes

Corresponding Author: Sarah Taki sarah.b.taki@ 123456student.uts.edu.au

Author information

Sarah Taki http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7228-8993

Karen J Campbell http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4499-3396

Catherine G Russell http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0848-2724

Rosalind Elliott http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9239-7126

Rachel Laws http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4328-1116

Elizabeth Denney-Wilson http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9879-4969

Article

Publisher ID: v4i3e18

DOI: 10.2196/ijmr.4323

PMC ID: 4704960

PubMed ID: 26420339

SO-VID: 0793ff14-ef18-4a39-89c2-ad0e12d00d46

Copyright © ©Sarah Taki, Karen J Campbell, Catherine G Russell, Rosalind Elliott, Rachel Laws, Elizabeth Denney-Wilson. Originally published in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research (http://www.i-jmr.org/), 29.09.2015.

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.i-jmr.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

History

Date received : 6 February 2015

Date revision requested : 12 March 2015

Date revision received : 24 April 2015

Date accepted : 21 May 2015

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