JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Research indicates that social media platforms play an important role in disseminating health information. Mothers, in particular, frequently seek guidance on child health through digital resources. Given this growing demand for health-related content, it is necessary to understand how these tools contribute to maternal health education, especially regarding the ability to interpret and apply health information.

Objective:

To investigate how the WhatsApp social network influences the health education processes of mothers, as well as to identify the interest and competencies related to infant oral health among mothers participating in a Maternal and child cohort.

Methods:

This was a qualitative, exploratory study, grounded in Bardin's content analysis framework. Text messages exchanged between mothers and health professionals in a WhatsApp group linked to the Curitiba Maternal and Child Health Cohort (COOSMIC) were analyzed, referring to the years 2020 and 2021. The corpus was composed of 39 dialogues: 28 concerning infant oral health and 11 regarding the group's impact. The recording units were categorized by themes and interpreted according to emerging core meanings.

Results:

We identified 2 main themes: Eruption of primary teeth (mentioned 12 times) and Bruxism in children (mentioned 5 times). Furthermore, in the topic related to the group's impact, we observed a pattern among participants in recognizing the group as a source of support, guidance, and mutual help, highlighting the role of professionals and peer-to-peer exchanges in overcoming doubts and insecurities. Mothers demonstrated an active search for information and collaborative interaction with health professionals, establishing WhatsApp as a support and education network. Competencies linked to oral health literacy varied between autonomy, empowerment, and security, and insecurity, misinformation, and knowledge limitations regarding infant oral health information.

Conclusions:

WhatsApp proved to be a relevant tool for accessing information and guidance on infant oral health, favoring mutual support and communication among peers and professionals. The competencies and limitations identified in the mothers' oral health literacy highlight the importance of professionally mediated educational strategies, aimed at qualifying information and promoting autonomy in infant care.