Feed Safe: a multidisciplinary partnership approach results in a successful mobile application for breastfeeding mothers

Abstract

Issue addressed: Mobile applications are increasingly being used in health promotion initiatives. Although there is evidence that developing these mobile health applications in multidisciplinary teams is good practice, there is a gap in the literature with respect to evaluation of the process of this partnership model and how best to disseminate the application into the community. The aim of this paper is twofold, to describe the partnership model in which the Feed Safe application was developed and to investigate what worked in terms of dissemination. Methods: The process of working in partnership was measured using the VicHealth partnership analysis tool for health promotion. The dissemination strategy and reach of the application was measured using both automated analytics data and estimates of community-initiated promotion. Results: The combined average score from the partnership analysis tool was 138 out of a possible 175. A multipronged dissemination strategy led to good uptake of the application among Australian women. Conclusions: Multidisciplinary partnership models are important in the development of health promotion mobile applications. Recognising and utilising the skills of each partner organisation can help expand the reach of mobile health applications into the Australian population and aid in good uptake of health promotion resources.So what? Developing mobile applications in multidisciplinary partnerships is good practice and can lead to wide community uptake of the health promotion resource.

Contribuições dos aplicativos móveis para a prática do aleitamento materno: revisão integrativa

“…(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25) With regards to the research design, five were descriptive, (17,(20)(21)(22)(23) one qualitative, (18) one methodological, (19) one experimental without randomization, (25) and the other experimental with randomization. (24) The predominant level of evidence was four, (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23) followed by three, (25) and two. (24) The methodological analysis of rigor focused on level A, (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25) and only one on B.…”

The provision of alcohol and breastfeeding information by maternal health practitioners in the Australian setting

“…In addition to the NPQ questions, age, gender, Australian state of residence, years worked and practitioner group were measured. The practitioner's awareness of the effects of alcohol on breastmilk and the infant, of the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) breastfeeding brochure and of a freely available online mobile application of the ABA breastfeeding brochure (the Feed Safe app), were collected as potential predictors of utilisation of the guideline.…”

Designing evaluation plans for health promotion mHealth interventions: a case study of the Milk Man mobile app

“…10 With such a strong connection, there are genuine opportunities for health behaviour-changing EMIs to reach individuals, groups and populations through their mobile device. Encouraging results have been reported for mHealth interventions designed for breastfeeding mothers, 11 promoting positive mental health to adolescents 12 and nutrition for adults. 13 While apps for health appear to have great potential in reaching populations, [2][3][4] there remains a lack of evidence in terms of the efficacy of their use, particularly in terms of the impact on health outcomes.…”