Sources of Parenting Information in Low SES Mothers

Abstract

This study examined 3 questions: (1) What are sources from which low socioeconomic status (SES) mothers of newborns receive parenting information? (2) To what extent are sociodemographic characteristics associated with sources? (3) To what extent are sources associated with intentions regarding activities with infants? In this cross-sectional analysis, mothers were interviewed during the postpartum period about potential sources of information about parenting and asked if and when they planned to initiate shared reading and television exposure during infancy. Maternal high school graduation, US birth, non-Latina ethnicity, language English, higher SES, and firstborn child were each associated with one or more categories representing important sources of parenting information. In adjusted analyses, print, physicians and other health care professionals, and family/friends as important sources of information were each significantly associated with increased frequency of intention to begin shared reading in infancy; television as an important source was associated with intention to begin television in infancy.