•  
  •  
 

ORCID ID

Ayça Balmumcu: 0000-0001-6811-8003

Endam Çetinkaya Ak: 0000-0003-2667-2633

Sabriye Uçan Yamaç: 0000-0002-3932-8017

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic restricted access to in-person health services, especially in rural areas. This increased reliance on the internet for health information and decision-making was particularly notable among pregnant women. This study aimed to investigate the role of internet use in decision-making among pregnant women.

Methods: This analytical, cross-sectional study examined 384 pregnant women living in a rural district of Turkey who attended family health centers for prenatal care. Data were collected using the Internet Decision-Making Scale in Pregnancy and a questionnaire assessing internet use patterns during the pandemic.

Results: Pregnant women demonstrated high levels of internet-based decision-making regarding pregnancy-related issues. Time spent online increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most participants reported trusting the pregnancy-related information they obtained online. Higher age was associated with higher Internet-based decision-making scores.

Conclusions: The internet plays a crucial role in influencing pregnant women’s decisions during periods of limited access to healthcare services, especially in rural areas. Understanding how and when women use the internet for these decisions is essential for safeguarding maternal and infant health and for developing safe, evidence-based digital support strategies.

References

  1. Polat F, Karasu F. Gebelerde internet kullanımının kendisinin ve bebeğinin sağlığı hakkındaki düşünceleriyle ilişkisi [Relationship between pregnant women’s internet use and their thoughts about self and baby’s health]. Bağımlılık Dergisi. 2022;23:483–91. Turkish.
  2. Conrad M. Health information-seeking internet behaviours among pregnant women: a narrative literature review. J Reprod Infant Psychol. 2024;42:194–208.
  3. We Are Social. Global Digital Report 2022 England: We Are Social Ltd, 2022.
  4. Narasimhulu DM, Karakash S, Weedon J, Minkoff H. Patterns of internet use by pregnant women, and reliability of pregnancy-related searches. Matern Child Health J. 2016;20:2502–9.
  5. Bjelke M, Martinsson AK, Lendahls L, Oscarsson M. Using the internet as a source of information during pregnancy: a descriptive cross-sectional study in Sweden. Midwifery. 2016;40:187–91.
  6. Sayakhot P, Carolan-Olah M. Internet use by pregnant women seeking pregnancy-related information: a systematic review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:65.
  7. Jacobs E, van Steijn M, van Pampus M. Internet usage of women attempting pregnancy and pregnant women in the Netherlands. Sex Reprod Healthc. 2019;21:9–14.
  8. Hadımlı A, Demirelöz Akyüz M, ve Tuna Oran N. Gebelerin interneti kullanma sıklıkları ve nedenleri [Pregnant women' frequencies and causes of using the internet]. Life Sci. 2018;13:32–43. Turkish.
  9. Lagan BM, Sinclair M, Kernohan WG. Internet use in pregnancy informs women’s decision making: a web-based survey. Birth. 2010;37:106–15.
  10. Taştekin Ouyaba A, İnfal Kesim S. The effect of the internet on decision-making during pregnancy: a systematic review. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2020;24:205–15.
  11. Wilhelm E, Vivilaki V, Calleja-Agius J, Petelos E, Tzeli M, Giaxi P, et al. Effects of the modern digital information environment on maternal health care professionals, the role of midwives, and the people in their care: scoping review. J Med Internet Res. 2025;27:e70108.
  12. Kaselitz E, Finkbeiner C, Javaid S, Barringer S, Compton SD, Muzik M, et al. COVID-19 and decision-making for pregnant women: taking or relinquishing control in response to a pandemic. J Pregnancy. 2022;2022:6436200.
  13. McNamee LC, Liu X, Phan K, Johnson T, Talsma A. Pregnant through the COVID-19 chaos: Insights on how women use information in the perinatal period during a pandemic. Clin Nurse Spec. 2022;36:298–308.
  14. Lagan BM, Sinclair M, Kernohan WG. What is the impact of the internet on decision-making in pregnancy? a global study. Birth. 2011;38:336–45.
  15. Larsson M. A descriptive study of the use of the internet by women seeking pregnancy-related information. Midwifery. 2009;25:14–20.
  16. Kommalage M. Use of the internet by patients attending specialist clinics in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2009;9:12.
  17. Takahashi Y, Ohura T, Ishizaki T, Okamoto S, Miki K, Naito M, et al. Internet use for health-related information via personal computers and cell phones in Japan: a cross-sectional population-based survey. J Med Internet Res. 2011;13:e110.
  18. Kavlak O, Atan SÜ, Güleç D, Oztürk R, Atay N. Pregnant women's use of the internet in relation to their pregnancy in Izmir, Turkey. Inform Health Soc Care. 2012;37:253–63.
  19. Koyun A, Erbektaş G. Gebelikte internet yoluyla karar alma ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi [Development of the Internet Decision Making Scale in Pregnancy]. Uluslararası Hakemli Kadın Hastalıkları ve Anne Çocuk Sağlığı Dergisi. 2018;12:25–38. Turkish.
  20. Çıngı H. Örnekleme kuramı [Sampling theory]. Ankara: Hacettepe Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Matbaası; 1990. Turkish.
  21. Özdamar K. Eğitim Sağlık ve Sosyal Bilimler için: SPSS Uygulamalı Temel İstatistik [Basic statistics with SPSS for education, health and social sciences]. Eskişehir: Nisan Printing Press; 2018.
  22. Cemek T. The relationship between pregnant women's decision making via internet and quality of life. [dissertation]. Sivas: Cumhuriyet University; 2020.
  23. Bayrak E, Kanbur A. Gebelerde internet yoluyla karar alma ile sağlık uygulamaları arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi [Investigation of the relationship between decision-making via internet and health practices in pregnant women]. İnönü Üniversitesi Sağlık Hizmetleri Meslek Yüksekokulu Dergisi. 2022;10:255–69. Turkish.
  24. Yenal K, Okumuş H, Sevil Ü. Web ortamında interaktif antenatal danışmanlık ile gebeliğe ilişkin bilgi gereksinimlerinin incelenmesi [Examination of information needs related to pregnancy through interactive antenatal counseling in a web environment]. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Yüksekokulu Elektronik Dergisi. 2010;3:9–14. Turkish.
  25. Kocademir L, Oter EG. Determination of internet using of pregnant women and affecting factors: an analytical and cross-sectional study. Izmir Democracy Univ Health Sci J. 2024;7:248–61.
  26. Wexler A, Davoudi A, Weissenbacher D, Choi R, O’Connor K, Cummings H, et al. Pregnancy and health in the age of the Internet: a content analysis of online “birth club” forums. PLoS One. 2020;15:e0230947.
  27. Bayrampour H, Heaman M, Duncan KA, Tough S. Advanced maternal age and the risk perception of pregnancy: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2012;12:100.
  28. Xu H, Zhou Y, Wang X. Influencing factors of maternal online health information-seeking behavior. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1592093.
  29. Goldbort J, Zhuang J, Bogdan-Lovis E, Bresnahan M, Frasher B. Navigating uncertain times: information management about pregnancy and breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Health Commun. 2021;26:473–9.
  30. Gao L-L, Larsson M, Luo S-Y. Internet use by Chinese women seeking pregnancy-related information. Midwifery. 2013;29:730–5.
  31. Güner Ö, Öztürk R. Psychological and social impact and lifestyle changes among pregnant women of COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2022;36:70–7.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.