Exploring pregnant women interest and anxiety to use the Internet and their perception and trust toward online information

Background: The Internet often represents a source of accessible information. The aim of this study was to examine pregnant women’s interest and anxiety when they use the Internet and also to determine the criteria by which they evaluated the correctness and reliability of the information on the Internet.Methods A descriptive study was conducted between April and July 2015. The pregnant women at the offices of obstetricians/gynecologists were invited to participate in the study by filling out a questionnaire.Results Of the 450 distributed questionnaires, 420 were completed and analyzed. The mean of interest and anxiety scores respectively was 12.21 and 6.69 out of 20. The most important criteria for judging the reliability and trustworthiness of a website were whether its information is continuously updated (69.2%), or it is recommended by a doctor, nurse or other health professionals (63.1%).Conclusions : Since the interest to a website lowers the anxiety of pregnant women to use it, it is recommended to consider pregnant women’s preferences and needs and follow user-centered approaches when designing websites. Medical content of the websites also should be carefully reviewed by a multidisciplinary board of medical specialists for the correctness and reliability of the information.