Use of a pregnancy support web site by low-income African American women.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the feasibility and usage pattern of a social support Web site by low-income pregnant African American women.


METHODS
Descriptive.


METHODS
Homes of participants.


METHODS
Nineteen pregnant African American women who were pregnant for the first time, were low risk, and attending a prenatal clinic.


METHODS
Culturally congruent Web site providing information on pregnancy-related health behaviors and other pregnancy issues.


METHODS
Number of visits to Web site, most popular pages, content analysis of postings, and e-mails to a nurse.


RESULTS
Participants were able to learn to use the Web site easily. They accessed the discussion board the most frequently, followed by changes during pregnancy by month, ask-a-nurse feature, ultrasound, stories about pregnant women, and spirituality.


CONCLUSIONS
The discussion board is the most effective way to deliver informational social support on a comprehensive social support Web site.
Herman
JoAnne
J
College of Nursing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29209, USA. joanne.herman@sc.edu
Mock
Kathryn
K
Blackwell
Deborah
D
Hulsey
Tara
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008490:Medical Informatics; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors