| Objective:We tracked and observed maternal WeChat groups,recorded the communication process,explored the characteristics of communication,and discovered the active time,topics of concern and core users of communication to provide reference for more efficient use of WeChat groups for maternal health education.Methods:Using a purposive sampling method,a maternal WeChat group(Group A)formed by a mother and baby company with obvious communication characteristics and a maternal WeChat group(Group B)formed by a district maternal and child health hospital in Chongqing were selected as the study objects,and the interaction information of Groups A and B for six months was collected separately,recording information such as the member,time,content,and the member to whom each message was released.Nvivo11 was used to conduct secondary coding and content analysis of the health information exchanged in groups A and B,respectively.Based on the interaction relationship of health information in the groups,the adjacency matrix of "member-member" and the occurrence matrix of"member-topic" were constructed respectively,and the characteristics of the interaction networks of the two groups were analyzed by using Ucinet and Gephi analysis software.Results:Group A exchanged 14,751 health messages accounting for 84.22%of the total messages,and Group B exchanged 30,057 health messages accounting for 67.74%of the total messages.The maternal WeChat group had messages throughout the day,and the peak occurred mainly in the evening,with peak times of 22:00-23:00 and 20:00-21:00 for group A and group B,respectively.Content analysis of maternal weibo group health information found that 6,332(71.11%)of Group A health messages were about infant and child health and 2,572(28.89%)about maternal health;the most mentioned were 2,381(26.74%)about feeding,1,650(18.53%)about infant and child diseases,1,377(18.53%)about postpartum repair(1,377 15.46%)and 534(6.00%)information on postpartum nutrition.Cluster B health information included 23,784(79.13%)on infant and child health and 6,273(20.87%)on maternal health;the most mentioned were information on feeding 7,722(25.69%),infant and child illness 6,103(20.3%),postpartum repair(2,686,8.94%),and postpartum complications 2,140(7.12%).The study of maternal WeChat group health information exchange network found that(1)1-mode network:cluster A contained 179 nodes,524 connections,with an average interaction value of 2.927,network density of 0.016,and the existence of 3.3%reciprocity,and the average network clustering coefficient was 0.265;cluster B contained 63 nodes,838 connections,with an average interaction value of 13.301,network density The average interaction value was 13.301,the network density was 0.215,32.32%reciprocity existed,and the average network clustering coefficient was 0.521.(2)Internal substructure:Cluster A formed a total of 119 factions,and instructor a1 appeared in 101 factions;Cluster B formed a total of 176 factions,and maternal b14 appeared in 137 factions.(3)Centrality:Cluster A,Instructor a1,had the highest point degree centrality and intermediate centrality.Cluster B matrons b8 had the highest point degree centrality;matrons b14 had the highest intermediate centrality.(4)Affiliation network:Cluster A contains 76 nodes,280 connections,64.62%of active users are connected to 2～4 health topics,health topic B4(feeding)is in the core of the network.Cluster B contains 35 nodes,166 connections,52%of active users are connected to 6～8 health topics,health topic B6(baby products)and B4(feeding)are in the core of the network.Conclusion:Maternal WeChat groups are all-weather information exchange platforms,and there are obvious peaks in their communication time periods,with the peak time occurring mostly in the evening.The health information exchanged in maternal WeChat groups is mainly about infant health,among which information about feeding and infant diseases are the most frequent,and the amount of discussion about infant vaccination within 6 months after delivery is also quite high;the discussion of maternal health information mainly focuses on postpartum repair and postpartum complications.Maternal women are not interested in every type of health information;within one year after delivery,maternal women mainly focus on 2-4 health topics;within six months after delivery,maternal women mainly focus on 6-8 health topics and pay attention to more comprehensive health information.Maternal weibo groups with different characteristics showed different interaction features.Maternal weibo groups with babies of different ages and without real social relationships were less interactive and more dependent on professionals for health information;maternal groups with babies of similar ages and with real social relationships(e.g.,attending the same hospital)had more intensive health information interactions and showed a "polycentric"communication characteristic.Professionals should pay attention to the value of health education in WeChat groups while valuing the health communication role of the core mothers in the group,and provide health education tailored to maternal needs. |
PDF Full Text Request