Social Media Influence on Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Expecting Mothers in Port Harcourt

While social media have the potential to help expecting and lactating
mothers learn the profits of, and steps to actualise exclusive
breastfeeding, studies in health communication in Nigeria have failed
to adequately interrogate the role of digital media in the actualisation
of exclusive breastfeeding. This study bridges that gap by exploring the
use of social media for the actualisation of exclusive breastfeeding in
Rivers State. This study reports on the response from a quantitative
survey of breastfeeding mothers (N=200) in three General Hospitals in
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Findings suggest that
breastfeeding mothers in Port Harcourt that reported receiving
information about and learning about exclusive breastfeeding through
social media platforms are more likely to report actualising exclusive
breastfeeding, controlling for all other factors in the model. Based on
the findings, we conclude that social media are the most efficient
means of communicating exclusive breastfeeding information and
messages following the availability and portability of internet-enabled
mobile phones. We therefore recommend that social media be adopted
as the flagship media for communicating exclusive breastfeeding in
Port Harcourt metropolis.