Are Pregnant and Postpartum Women Interested in Health-Related Apps? Implications for the Prevention of Perinatal Depression

Recent studies have shown that women are more likely than men to use the Internet to seek health information and that the use of technology is common among perinatal women. Access to the Internet is growing through the global use of mobile phones and apps, in both developed and less developed countries. This pattern is particularly relevant for clinicians and researchers who are interested in the use of technologies to disseminate perinatal depression interventions. In a cross-sectional anonymous online survey for English and Spanish-speaking perinatal women, 509 pregnant (77.6 percent) and postpartum (22.4 percent) women provided demographic and Information and Communication Technologies data. Results indicated that the single device with greatest access was the mobile phone (47.5 percent). The majority of the sample had Internet access through mobile phones, computers, or both. Significant differences in socioeconomic status were found for Internet seeking behavior of health-related information and downloading apps between those with and without Internet access. Ninety percent of respondents (n = 267) searched for health-related information and 72.3 percent had downloaded any kind of app. More than half of respondents (57 percent, n = 188) downloaded a health-related app and 26.9 percent reported having paid for the apps. This study shows preliminary evidence to suggest the need to design, develop, and test apps that aim to disseminate prevention programs for perinatal depression.