Egyptian pregnant women's health information needs and behaviour: A qualitative study

Abstract

The primary goal of this research is to examine Egyptian pregnant women's health information needs and behaviour in terms of their thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, motives, interests, techniques, preferences, tools, and other factors that influence their use of health information. Six focus groups with an effective size of 64 women were used in a qualitative approach. Approximately two-thirds of the Egyptian pregnant women sampled in this study were between the ages of 26 and 35, had a Bachelor's degree (BA), and were classified as upper-middle income. Approximately two-thirds of the pregnant Egyptian women sampled were able to precisely identify these needs and use appropriate means to meet them. Many of them preferred to communicate with their families, relatives, peers, and friends, particularly those who are currently pregnant or have recently delivered, via cell phones or inperson meetings. Verbal communication with mothers and relatives, friends, as well as gynaecologists and healthcare providers have been identified as the most commonly used communication channels. Pregnant Egyptian women surveyed used health information sources to assist with pregnancy-related tasks such as understanding the requirements for monitoring the foetus's health, nutrition, weight, growth, and movement, and finding suitable and affordable birthplaces. The majority of them have used a variety of technologies for day-to-day communication, particularly cell phones, the Internet, social media, and social networking sites such as WhatsApp and Facebook. Because of the difficulties associated with pregnancy, many pregnant women have stated that using any type of library to meet their health information needs plays no significant role. The most significant barriers encountered by Egyptian pregnant women in this study were a lack of time, a lack of money, and a lack of knowledge about appropriate sources of information.