USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA DURING PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM: EDUCATIONAL TOOL OR SOURCE OF DISINFORMATION?

• Grant number: 22/03848-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2022
• End date: October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Marair Gracio Ferreira Sartori
• Grantee: Leticia Miyuki Ito
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The internet is becoming increasingly relevant as a tool for accessing health content. Following this trend, the use of social networks is also increasing (Perrin, 2015). Social networks have several functions, such as consulting health information, which includes pelvic health, a topic of interest among pregnant and postpartum women. The pelvic floor (PF) is formed by a set of muscles, fascia and ligaments that, when they lose their integrity (Assis et al.,2013), can cause pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFDs). After pregnancy and childbirth, the function of the PF tends to decrease. Therefore, it is important to perform physical therapy for labor preparation and pelvic strengthening in the postpartum period. Although there is a significant prevalence of PFDs, many patients with these disorders do not fully understand their conditions, nor the terminology of the diseases. In addition to this problem, the quality and veracity of data published online may be questionable. Even though useful medical information published by health professionals is gradually increasing, there is a lack of content written by them. Therefore, this study aims to understand the use of social media among pregnant and postpartum women, related to their knowledge about PFDs. For this, a questionnaire will be applied to pregnant women and women up to one year postpartum, containing 16 multiple-choice questions that address preferences regarding the use of social networks, frequency of use, interest in health content, and the reliability of information.