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Maternal Health Information Disparities Amid Covid-19: Comparing Urban and Rural Expectant Mothers in Ghana
[journal article]
Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted mothers’ access to credible and reliable health information from their healthcare providers. However, the impact of the pandemic on maternal health information access among rural and urban mothers has not been studied, especially in the Global South. Guided by the cha... view more
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted mothers’ access to credible and reliable health information from their healthcare providers. However, the impact of the pandemic on maternal health information access among rural and urban mothers has not been studied, especially in the Global South. Guided by the channel complementarity theory, we examined the sources of maternal health information rural and urban Ghanaian mothers used during the pandemic. Specifically, we analyzed the role access to technology plays in determining the quantity and quality of maternal health information expectant mothers had during the pandemic. Through purposive and snowball sampling techniques, we recruited and conducted in-depth interviews with 15 mothers, eight from rural communities and seven from urban communities in Ghana. We thematically analyzed the data and found that rural and urban mothers used medical and non-medical sources to obtain maternal health information. While medical sources remained the most credible information source even amid the pandemic, the mothers equally appreciated the immense benefits of other sources, particularly the internet. Our findings also suggest that the motivations for using maternal health information sources complementarily were not limited to the mothers’ functional needs, level of interest, and source characteristics but also covered the mothers’ location, resources, and health information literacy levels.... view less
Keywords
Ghana; epidemic; mother; health; information-seeking behavior; source of information; health education
Classification
Impact Research, Recipient Research
Interactive, electronic Media
Free Keywords
Covid-19; maternal health information; rural mothers; urban mothers
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 173-183
Journal
Media and Communication, 11 (2023) 1
Issue topic
Global Inequalities in the Wake of Covid-19: Gender, Pandemic, and Media Gaps
ISSN
2183-2439
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed