Experience as Evidence: A Content Analysis of Reddit Discussions About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy

Reddit is a space where people commonly discuss sensitive health-related topics and share experiences. We explore discussions relating to alcohol use during pregnancy to understand why people turn to platforms like Reddit for public health advice, and to identify potential lessons for public health.

We undertook a descriptive qualitative study, using directed content analysis, to explore 1654 Reddit comments that discussed alcohol and pregnancy, examining the purpose, positioning and use of evidence.

Comments primarily focussed on alcohol consumption while knowingly pregnant (57%) followed by comments about drinking before pregnancy recognition (35%). Comments were evenly split between those supporting (37%) and opposing (37%) alcohol use during pregnancy. A further 14% adopted a precautionary stance, and 11% expressed mixed views. Fifty-four percent of comments drew on some form of evidence, with anecdotal evidence most common (43%), followed by advice from health professionals (29%). Anecdotal accounts often involved personal experience used to justify conclusions about risk.

The findings suggest that Reddit functions as a widely used platform for peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge and experiences regarding alcohol consumption, particularly while knowingly pregnant. Taken together, these findings help explain why individuals may turn to platforms like Reddit for pregnancy-related advice-such spaces offer accessibility, immediacy, and a diversity of perspectives, alongside opportunities for emotional support and normalisation of experience. However, the relatively limited use of scientific evidence suggests an ongoing gap in effective knowledge translation.