Online and mobile phone intervention to support infant feeding choices
Research type
Research Study
Full title
User-centred development of an online and mobile phone intervention to support infant feeding choice and confidence to sustain breastfeeding and/or safe formula feeding
IRAS ID
212349
Contact name
Naomi Bartle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Coventry University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of serious infant and maternal disease. In the UK, 8 out of 10 women start to breastfeed, but many stop in the first few weeks because of difficulties or concerns about milk supply. Parents report inconsistent support with breastfeeding. Many parents seek to fill the gap in breastfeeding support by looking online for information, but find it difficult to determine what is reliable and trustworthy. Because most babies in the UK receive some bottle feeds (formula milk), parents who stop breastfeeding or choose not to start also need guidance to reduce the risks associated with bottle feeding. Although there are many mother-focussed sources of online information, few have been developed with users (mothers or fathers) in mind, included content known to be associated with making behaviour change, or been evaluated for either their acceptability or potential to change infant feeding practices.
The research team have developed a prototype digital intervention (website) to support parents with their infant feeding choices. Development work already undertaken has included a systematic review of previous literature and popular apps and websites for infant feeding, workshops with parents to assess their needs, and interviews with health professionals. An online user group has supported the development work by providing feedback on individual sections of the intervention and have commented on language and content. The aim of this research study is to test the website for ease of use and acceptability of the content with a representative sample of parents, recruited via NHS primary care services. Parents will be invited to view the website and provide feedback via an online questionnaire. The outcomes will guide refinements and inform the design of future research to test if the website improves infant feeding. The research is led by Coventry University funded by the Medical Research Council.REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/WM/0144
Date of REC Opinion
26 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion