Assessing and Improving the Use of Online Information About Child Development, Education, Health, and Well-Being in Low-Education, Low-Income Parents: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Multiphase Study

Background This study is born from a partnership between Web editors of Naitre et grandir (N&G) and AboutKidsHealth (AKH) and researchers who developed and validated the Information Assessment Method (IAM). N&G and AKH are popular Canadian websites with high-quality comprehensive information about child development, education, health, and well-being. IAM allows parents to assess online information and provide feedback to Web editors. High-quality online consumer health information improves knowledge, self-efficacy, and health. However, low-socioeconomic status (SES) parents underuse N&G and IAM, despite these parents being more likely to report decreased worries and increased confidence as outcomes from N&G information.