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Infant Feeding Tracker Applications: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Use
1Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ.
Objective:
Examine the extent to which postpartum patients use infant feeding tracker applications (apps), characteristics of app users, and app features most used and desired.
Design:
Cross-sectional survey.
Setting:
An obstetrics/gynecology practice in Northern New Jersey in 2019.
Participants:
One hundred twenty-six patients aged ≥ 18 years recruited during their 6-week postpartum visit.
Main Outcome Measures:
Self-reported sociodemographics, infant feeding behaviors, and health app use. Respondents were grouped by self-reported use of an infant feeding tracker app.
Analysis:
Frequencies were calculated for descriptive analysis, and comparisons were made between user groups. Fisher's exact tests of independence were used to analyze categorical data. Mann-Whitney U tests were employed for continuous variables (significance at P < 0.002).
Results:
Fifty-seven percent of respondents reported using an app to track infant feeding. Compared with nonusers, users were more likely to have an infant who was ever breastfed (P = 0.001; Cramer's V = 0.30) and exclusively breastfed (P < 0.001; Cramer's V = 0.44). Users also used significantly more health apps than nonusers (P < 0.001). Most respondents used the app to track infant feeding, diapering, and sleep.
Conclusions And Implications:
Given their frequency of use-particularly among those who breastfeed-infant feeding tracker apps have the potential to support parents in meeting their infant feeding goals.
