Date of Conferral
12-2-2025
Date of Award
December 2025
Degree
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
School
Health Services
Advisor
Heba Athar
Abstract
Abstract The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how Black mothers navigated digital health platforms during the perinatal period while managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs). Guided by the social ecological model and the transactional model of eHealth literacy, the study examined how individual, interpersonal, and structural factors influenced digital health engagement and decision-making. Guiding questions focused on how mothers perceived the credibility and trustworthiness of online health information, how healthcare providers shaped and influenced digital health literacy and information-seeking behaviors, and how community and family support affected digital engagement. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 13 participants who self-identified as Black mothers diagnosed with an HDP within the past 12 months and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis. Findings revealed that representation, trust, and access strongly shaped mothers’ digital engagement and underscored the need for culturally responsive, community-informed digital health design. These results suggest that improving digital literacy and health outcomes requires not only expanding access but also ensuring that digital identities, lived experiences, and trust-building needs of Black mothers and other marginalized populations. This research supports Walden University’s mission of positive social change by amplifying the voices of Black mothers and advancing equitable maternal care through inclusive digital-health innovation.
Recommended Citation
Kebede, Robyn Ford, "Digital Health Literacy and Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among Black Mothers With Hypertensive Disorders During the Perinatal Period" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18846.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18846
