Social Media Usage of Mothers for Breastfeeding

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the reasons of use of social media support on breastfeeding and its results on breastfeeding. Method: Research is a descriptive study. The universe of the study consisted of mothers who had babies between 0-30 months and members of Art of Breastfeeding/Breastfeeding Problems and Solutions Facebook page. Two hundred and eighty one mothers were included in the sample. Data has been collected by questionnaire prepared according to literature between February-March 2018 with online survey method. Descriptive statistics (number, percentage, arithmetic mean) were used in the analysis of the data obtained from the study. Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.6 ± 3.7 years and 70.1% were university graduates and 54.8% were employed. It was found that mothers used social media as the source of information about breastfeeding/breastmilk both prenatal and postnatal period (respectively 60.5%; 85.1%). Of all the participants, 29,6% had difficulty in breastfeeding and 63.3% of them searched for solutions of breastfeeding problems on social media. Additionally, 96.1% of the mothers had expressed positive effects on the breastfeeding of the breastfeeding groups and 91.1% of them increased their knowledge about breastfeeding. Information shared in social media group in 58.7% of the mothers participating in the study was determined to trust completely. The most important reason for trusting this information (%87,5) had the information in the groups reflect the experiences. Conclusion: It was determined that mothers used social media mostly as a source of information about breastfeeding and that the information shared on social media is a reliable source for women by reason of experiences reflect. Breastfeeding counseling nurses/hospitals can be recommended to provide on-line breastfeeding support through social media.