Does Quality of Prenatal Care for Black Birthing Women Impact Social Media Use?

To examine the relationship between perceived prenatal care quality and social media use for pregnancy-related information among Black women in the United States during their most recent pregnancy.

This cross-sectional study used a national sample of Black women who were pregnant or recently postpartum. Prenatal care quality was assessed using the Anticipatory Guidance and Support and Respect subscales of the Quality of Prenatal Care Questionnaire. Social media use measures included frequency of use, use for giving and getting support, and sharing pregnancy-related information. Multivariable linear regression models adjusted for demographic and provider-related factors.

Participants rated prenatal care guidance quality as moderately good (mean item score: 3.86, SD: 0.85) and support and respect quality as high (mean item score: 4.09, SD: 0.88). Greater perceived prenatal care guidance quality was associated with social media use (r = 0.246, p < 0.0001) and use of social media for support (r = 0.272, p < 0.0001), and these associations remained significant after adjustment. Associations between support and respect quality and social media use observed in bivariate analyses were not significant in adjusted models. Both guidance quality and support and respect quality were associated with increased sharing of pregnancy-related information found on social media. Effect sizes were small.

Social media is a routine source of pregnancy-related information among Black women, regardless of prenatal care experiences. Higher perceived guidance quality is associated with greater engagement in social media, though causality cannot be determined. Integrating discussions of online information into prenatal care may support informed decision-making and help reduce exposure to misinformation.