Factors important for women who breastfeed in public: a content analysis of review data from FeedFinder

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine how the breastfeeding experience is represented by users of FeedFinder (a mobile phone application for finding, reviewing and sharing places to breastfeed in public).DesignContent analysis using FeedFinder database.SettingFeedFinder, UK, September 2013–June 2015.MethodsReviews obtained through FeedFinder over a period of 21 months were systematically coded using a conventional content analysis approach, average review scores were calculated for the rating criteria in FeedFinder (comfort, hygiene, privacy, baby facilities) and review texts were analysed for sentiment. We used data from Foursquare to describe the type of venues visited and cross-referenced the location of venues with the Indices of Multiple Deprivation.ResultsA total of 1757 reviews were analysed. Of all the reviews obtained, 80% of those were classified as positive, 15.4% were classified as neutral and 4.3% were classified as negative. Important factors that were discussed by women include facilities, service, level of privacy available and qualities of a venue. The majority of venues were classified as cafes (26.4%), shops (24.4%) and pubs (13.4%). Data on IMD were available for 1229 venues mapped within FeedFinder, 23% were located within the most deprived quintile and 16% were located in the least deprived quintile.ConclusionsWomen create content that is positive and informative when describing their breastfeeding experience in public. Public health bodies and business owners have the potential to use the data from FeedFinder to impact on service provision. Further work is needed to explore the demographic differences that may help to tailor public health interventions aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates in the UK.

Technologies for Social Justice

“…While seeing digital technologies or platforms as tools for translational service delivery [45] or citizen-led developments [25], the collection and dissemination of information related to alleged crimes or in stigmatized, marginalized, or criminalized communities, brings about particular necessities. Here, we must ensure that whatever digital technology we design is more than 'a tool' and instead see it as part of an ecology [42] that is based in social, historical, legal, or ethical contexts as well as personal experiences of those that are part of the ecology itself [29] and wider community [54]. To do this, we must understand the ways in which humans interact with it, how it fits in with other existing digital and non-digital service provisions, and how it sits within particular social, political, historical, and legal contexts.…”

Applying Computational Analysis to Textual Data from the Wild

“…Furthermore the thematic concerns addressed in individuals' comments are diverse [50]. In the comment data the various regions of concern that shape their experiences are attended to, and the specific priorities of the individual encoded.…”

“…Women who do breastfeed in public are much more likely to be older, white women with increased parity (more than one child) from the least deprived areas, as defined by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) [1]. A more detailed review of literature on breastfeeding in public is included in the authors' prior work [50].…”

“…Specifically, in this paper we are interested in the exploration of Feminist GIS for uncovering the multiple perspectives which relate to the experiences of breastfeeding mothers. Previous studies have found that privacy concerns can be an important factor for breastfeeding parents [50,30], with fear of breastfeeding in public causing ten percent of parents to abstain from breastfeeding altogether [13]. However, what privacy means in this context can vary dependent on a variety of personal preference factors.…”

Experiences of Delivering a Public Health Data Service

“…This brings forth an opportunity which the FeedFinder dataset, and the 'public health data service' can provide. FeedFinder is in a unique position to evidence what makes for a good public breastfeeding experience based on a content analysis of women's reviews [48]. Such analysis can be translated into evidence-based policy and services, which in themselves have monetizing potential.…”