Growing and Glowing: A Tailored Digital Media Campaign for Maternal and Infant Health

By Erika Bonnevie

Racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. These disparities persist regardless of social and economic factors, and are ultimately caused by systemic racism that permeates healthcare as well as countless upstream social determinants of health. While the statistics and causes for disparities in Black maternal and infant health are clear, there is less information on how to effectively address these disparities in the short-term. Digital media campaigns are one potential way to distribute information in a time and cost-efficient manner, directly in the online spaces where women spend their time.

Our study described the creation, implementation, and evaluation of a digital media campaign in Hillsborough County, Florida. The Growing and Glowing (growingandglowing.org) campaign used tailored health messages created by and for Black women. Campaign messaging focused on specific areas important for maternal and infant health, including raising awareness of local same-race providers, empowering Black women to speak with providers about their concerns during pregnancy and finding a new provider if their care is insufficient, and providing information on the importance of prenatal care, nutrition and other health pregnancy behaviors. Messages were delivered through a web series featuring short videos of local Black prenatal care providers, and images created by Black female artists. Content was delivered through social media, a website, and 71 social media influencers who shared the campaign on their own social media pages to increase the campaign’s organic reach. The campaign was evaluated through a cross-sectional survey, with web and social media metrics providing information on digital reach and engagement.

Results from the evaluation showed the promise of using a digital approach to reach Black women in a highly targeted area. The prenatal care provider web series was viewed almost 27,000 times with an average video retention rate of 89% - a rate that far exceeds most health interventions. The most-watched videos touched on various topics that are critical to a healthy pregnancy, including how often to see a healthcare provider when pregnant, the importance of prenatal appointments, what low birthweight is, advice for Black women navigating pregnancy, the importance of nutrition during pregnancy, and how to find a same-race provider. Survey results further reinforced the campaign’s success. Women who saw the campaign were more aware of networks of Black women talking about pregnancy online, were more aware of how to find same-race providers, and more often agreed with the importance of prenatal care for preventing low birthweight, compared to women who did not see the campaign. For women who were pregnant or intending to be pregnant, results also showed an increase in intentions to talk with a doctor about nutrition, the topic of the fifth most-watched video.

Based on these results, we believe that a digital media campaign holds promise in improving knowledge and attitudes related to healthy pregnancy and low birthweight, if created with Black women leading the way. Growing and Glowing featured content made by Black artists and a video series featuring Black prenatal care providers. The campaign acknowledged Black women’s unique pregnancy experiences, and focused on empowering them to advocate for themselves with information that can help them make informed decisions. This focus on empowerment was central to the campaign, and we believe one of the reasons why it was well received.

Despite the promise of this approach, digital media campaigns alone cannot solve the issue. There is a critical need for a multidisciplinary approach that validates and reflects the experiences of Black women and addresses the various social determinants of health that further these disparities in the United States. The pandemic may have shifted public health priorities and derailed progress, but it is now time to refocus and commit to pursuing approaches that help Black women have the same opportunities for a health pregnancy and birth.