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Developing and testing a mobile application for breastfeeding support : The Milky Way application
Meedya, Shahla Win, Khin Yeatman, Heather Fahy, Kathleen Walton, Karen Burgess, Lois McGregor, Deborah Shojaei, ParisaSadat Wheatley, Eden Halcomb, Elizabeth
Meedya, Shahla
Win, Khin
Yeatman, Heather
Fahy, Kathleen
Walton, Karen
Burgess, Lois
McGregor, Deborah
Shojaei, ParisaSadat
Wheatley, Eden
Halcomb, Elizabeth
Abstract
Background
Supporting women to continue breastfeeding is a global challenge. The Milky Way Program is an effective face to face intervention to increase breastfeeding rates up to six months postpartum. The sustainability and access to the Milky Way Program could be enhanced by transforming it into a mobile application allowing women to access relevant information from their own place at a convenient time.
Aim
To explore the process of transforming the Milky Way Program into an acceptable and usable mobile health application.
Method
Stakeholders including multidisciplinary researchers and end-users designed the application based on the Milky Way Program by using Persuasive System Design principles. A mixed-method approach was used in the development and evaluation process. Seven women were recruited through convenience sampling to pilot test the application. The women’s feedback was collected through an online survey six weeks after birth and individual interviews at four months postpartum.
Findings
Women in the pilot study reported that the breastfeeding application was well designed, easy to use, interactive, reassuring and evidence-based with credible sources of information.
Conclusion
The Persuasive System Design model combined with end-user engagement can feasibly inform the development of an acceptable and usable mobile health application for breastfeeding based on a proven clinical intervention. Further rigorous testing is required to evaluate the effectiveness of the application on breastfeeding initiation and duration.
Keywords
breastfeeding, mobile health application, persuasive system design, co-design, The Milky Way program
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Women and Birth
Book
Volume
34
Issue
2
Page Range
e196-e203
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled
Notes
© 2020 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.