Maternal health education on social media in Ghana: a study of midwives’ posts

Purpose Maternal health continues to be a global health priority. With accessible and affordable maternity-related health education and information, women in low- and middle-income countries, especially, can experience positive pregnancy outcomes. Health professionals across the globe, including midwives, use social media to propagate relevant education and information covering a wide range of content on physiological changes, the labor process and postpartum issues. However, little evidence exists to empirically explore the content of information posted by Ghanaian midwives on Facebook. This study, therefore, aims to examine the textual content/written content of maternal health education shared by Ghanaian midwives on Facebook, with a focus on the full continuum of care, including pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative descriptive approach was employed to uncover themes underlying 378 texts posted on Facebook by three widely followed Ghanaian midwives between January 2021 and February 2024. Findings Thematic content analysis showed that Facebook posts covered various topics, which resulted in the extraction of three main themes: antenatal/prenatal, labor and postnatal. Additionally, posts sought to educate, advocate, clarify misconceptions, encourage and advise mothers toward safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery. Practical implications Though leveraging social media is not a feature of the broad profession or current midwifery practices in Ghana, the advantage of accessible and affordable information sharing merits policy and intervention considerations and regulations. Future research should investigate the quality and accuracy of midwives’ posts and explore the motivations behind educating, advocating and interacting on social media from the perspective of midwives and expectant mothers, respectively. Originality/value This study is the first to offer in-depth insights into the types and nature of maternity-related information shared on Facebook by midwives in Ghana, with specific attention to the full continuum of maternal care (i.e. pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period).