Exploring Women's Perspectives on Receiving AI-Enabled Digital Support for Infant Feeding: Multimethods...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• Maternal and Child Health

Background:

• Infant feeding practices significantly impact maternal and child health.
• Digital health technologies are increasingly used for infant feeding support.
• The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in infant feeding support is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore women's perceptions of AI-enabled infant feeding support in mobile health (mHealth) interventions.
• To assess openness to AI support, experiences, and preferences for AI-generated versus human advice.
• To identify infant feeding topics suitable for AI-driven support.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative surveys assessed women's openness to AI-enabled support.
• Qualitative focus groups explored perceptions of AI in infant feeding.
• Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data, and regression analysis for quantitative data.

Main Results:

• 53% of women were open to AI recommendations for professional consultation, and 41% for breastfeeding advice.
• Fewer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants were open to AI support.
• Key themes included AI's potential to fill support gaps, variable confidence in AI, and convenience.

Conclusions:

• AI shows potential to supplement infant feeding support, particularly for after-hours care.
• Women's concerns about AI credibility and trustworthiness need to be addressed.
• AI can complement, not replace, existing healthcare services for infant feeding support.