Help-seeking patterns among parents with a newborn child

Area of Science:

• Child Health Promotion
• Public Health Nursing
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Public health nurses (PHNs) are central to Sweden's child health promotion (CHP) programs.
• Understanding maternal utilization and perceived support is crucial for effective health promotion.
• Socioeconomic status and country of origin can influence health service engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in CHP program utilization based on maternal social position and origin (Swedish vs. foreign-born).
• To examine how mothers in different social positions and origins value formal/informal social support for health problem-solving.

Main Methods:

• A national postal questionnaire survey was administered to 850 mothers of 4-5-month-old infants.
• A random sample of 10% of infants born in a specific month was used.
• Response rate was 80%; data analyzed for utilization and perceived value of support systems.

Main Results:

• Nearly all families (99.6%) utilized the CHP program.
• No significant differences in CHP program utilization were found between mothers of different social positions or origins.
• Mothers consistently preferred consulting the public health nurse for various health scenarios.
• Significant differences emerged in how mothers valued different support systems (nurses, healthcare, relatives, media) based on social position and origin.

Conclusions:

• CHP program utilization in Sweden is high and equitable across social strata and maternal birthplace.
• Public health nurses are the primary trusted source of support for mothers regardless of background.
• Perceptions of formal and informal support systems for health problem-solving differ significantly by social position and maternal origin.