Social media intervention for promoting breastfeeding among WIC participants

Abstract

AbstractSocial media have emerged as a promising communication channel for promoting breastfeeding among a new generation of mothers. Yet, there is no published study reporting the effects of a large‐scale social media intervention on key breastfeeding‐related perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. As a component of its breastfeeding promotion campaign, the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program implemented a 12‐month intervention using Facebook and Instagram and subsequently evaluated the outcomes by surveying WIC‐participating women (N = 832) twice, immediately before and after the intervention. Based on their level of exposure to the intervention messages, the women were retrospectively classified into two groups, resulting in a two‐group (no–low exposure vs. medium–high exposure) quasi‐experiment. Women in the medium–high exposure group, in comparison with women in the no–low exposure group, exhibited higher campaign awareness (p < .001), visits to the campaign website (p < .001), and engagement with the website content (p < .001). They also reported more positive breastfeeding attitudes (M = 17.26 vs. M = 16.51, p < .05), self‐efficacy (M = 54.48 vs. M = 49.94, p < .01), and social support (M = 27.37 vs. M = 25.11, p < .001). But they did not differ from women in the no–low exposure group in breastfeeding initiation (p > .05) and duration (p > .05). In conclusion, a social media‐based intervention resulted in more positive breastfeeding attitudes, higher self‐efficacy, and higher perceived social support. Future studies need to investigate the optimal level of intervention message dosage that prompts significant behavioral changes.