The Impact of Social Networking Sites (SNSs)-facilitated electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) on Parental Feeding Practices in Thai Millennial Parents: A Study Protocol (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have become a global phenomenon that can provide opportunities for health communication. Thailand’s social media statistics indicate that millennials, who are now of childbearing age, spend more time on the Internet than any other demographic group. How this emerging online community influences Thai millennial parents’ food provisioning for young children, requires investigation. Thai children’s diets are of concern as Thai children have had high levels of malnutrition in the past, and recently, overweight and obesity has become a problem. OBJECTIVE This paper explains a protocol applied in a mixed-methods study with five objectives: (1) to describe the prevalence and characteristics of the users of SNSs about healthy diets for children in Thailand; (2) to investigate the association between the participation on these sites and parents’ perceptions and parental feeding practices; (3) to qualitatively evaluate the content of communication in SNSs communities dedicated to healthy diets for children; (4) to determine whether sampled shared food recipes on these sites provide appropriate nutritionally balanced recipes for the targeted age range; and (5) to explore Thai parents’ perceptions about joining these sites. METHODS This study employs a sequential-explanatory design which begins with a quantitative survey to describe patterns of SNS usage and then applies qualitative inquiry to further explain and interpret these patterns. Quantitative survey data has been collected and analysed to answer objective 1 and 2. Thematic content analysis will be conducted to address objective 3 and 4, and to offer greater insight into the nature of the posts on healthy diets for children-SNSs. The results from both the survey and thematic content analysis will be used as a guide for in-depth semi-structured interviews with Thai parents to address objective 5. RESULTS Survey data collection has been conducted to provide evidence of whether healthy diets for children-SNSs are an emerging phenomenon for social influence in Thai society. The result will be published in 2020. Qualitative analysis is planned to provide a rich understanding of the parents’ concern, the information needs, attitudes, and perceptions around participating in healthy diets for children-SNSs. Results will be reported in subsequent years. CONCLUSIONS SNSs may be a new mechanism for providing information and support for Thai millennial parents about healthy diets for children. The results will generate a picture of the impact of SNSs on the way that Thai millennial parents feed their children to help guide practice and policy among healthcare professionals to better harness this existing online platform more effectively.