Using Videoconferencing for Lactation Consultation: An Online Survey of Acceptance among a Sample of Fathers/Maternal Partners in the United States

Use of videoconferencing (VC) as a strategy to reduce barriers to breastfeeding has been minimally explored among breastfeeding families. Because fathers/maternal partners (FMPs) are often a vital source of support and encouragement, it is important to explore their acceptance of use of VC. This was a cross-sectional research design using online survey methodology with FMPs recruited from 22 randomly selected states. Eligibility included being > 18, having an infant <16 weeks of age who had been breastfed at least once, and having a valid email account. A 7-point Likert scale was used for responses to acceptance questions. To date, 62 FMPs have completed the survey, with preliminary analysis indicating a sample that is ~32 years of age, predominantly Caucasian (82%), with at least a bachelor’s degree (63%), and with infants ~10 weeks old. Slightly more than half the sample (53%) reported this being their first child. “Perceived ease of use” (mean=5.1); “perceived usefulness/extrinsic motivations”, defined as perceived benefits of VC (mean=4.6); and “intrinsic motivation”, defined as perceived enjoyability of VC (mean=4.5), were all significantly higher than neutral (p<0.05). Although acceptance of VC for lactation consultation showed significant positive correlations with perceived ease of use (r= 0.557; p<0.001), perceived usefulness/extrinsic motivations (r= 0.772; p<0.001), and intrinsic motivation (r= 0.692; p<0.001), overall acceptance was neutral (mean=4.1). Preliminary analysis indicates that though FMPs recognize the usefulness of VC, their overall neutral acceptance may be explained by the limited research indicating that acceptance may increase when VC is actually needed.