(San Francisco, CA) – October 13, 2009 – As public health officials brace for a global H1N1 flu pandemic (also known as “swine flu”), BabyCenter®, the leading global online parenting resource for new and expectant parents, is collaborating with health organizations including the Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition and Emory University to educate parents about the increased risks of the H1N1 virus to pregnant women and children under the age of five.
According to a survey conducted in August 2009 on BabyCenter.com, parents are increasingly concerned as we head into the fall and winter flu season. Of the moms with small children, 63 percent said they plan to vaccinate their child and 18 percent said they plan to avoid traveling to minimize possible H1N1 exposure. The survey also revealed that although 65 percent of pregnant women are concerned about H1N1, only 27 percent of pregnant women plan to get the H1N1 vaccine due to safety concerns with the shot.
“We’re partnering with BabyCenter to educate pregnant women about their increased risk of developing serious complications from H1N1 due to a weakened immune system and reduced lung capacity during pregnancy. BabyCenter is dedicated to arming the millions of moms they reach all over the world with the information and resources to keep their families safe and healthy,” said Judy Meehan, from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, a group of organizations dedicated to improving the health and safety of mothers, babies and families.
The topic of whether pregnant women should be vaccinated for H1N1 has been a controversial issue. Typically, only about 14 percent of pregnant women receive a flu shot, highlighting the need to raise mass awareness this year. BabyCenter is committed to supporting the campaign and is uniquely positioned to make a difference given its community of 16 million moms worldwide.
According to the CDC, there have been more than 550 H1N1-related deaths in the United States, with an unusually high percentage being pregnant women and young children. More than 60 children and 28 pregnant women have died as a result of H1N1. Since this news was released, BabyCenter’s community has been flooded with questions and concerns from alarmed pregnant women and parents. H1N1 conversations are currently the most popular topic on BabyCenter.
Taking a demographic-specific look at the issue, BabyCenter surveyed Spanish-speaking U.S moms to gauge their perception and concerns surrounding H1N1. Highlights from the survey revealed that pregnant Hispanic women living in the U.S. are very concerned about H1N1, and are the most interested in information about the vaccine. They’re also unclear about the symptoms and warning signs of flu infection.
“Given our expertise in communicating health information to pregnant women and new mothers in a way they understand and trust, along with our reach of 16 million moms around the world, BabyCenter is uniquely positioned to make a real difference this flu season,” said Linda Murray, Editor-in-Chief of BabyCenter.
“Over the last few months, hundreds of thousands of BabyCenter moms have researched articles about H1N1,” said Murray. “We feel a responsibility to our moms to provide them with the most up-to-date information about the flu specifically geared to expectant moms and parents of young children. We want to do our part to reduce illness rates, complications, fatalities, and panic surrounding H1N1.”
As highlighted in the survey, the majority of parents with young children say they are not educated about the symptoms of H1N1, and as a result, continue to flood sites such as BabyCenter for more answers. BabyCenter’s recently released 21st Century Mom™ report found moms are increasingly dependent on both expert and mom-to-mom wisdom found on the Web and through social media to gather medical information on illnesses and the overall health of their families. “Dr. Mom” comes to medical appointments armed with information and actively seeks second opinions online rather than from another doctor. In online communities, children’s health issues are the leading topic of interest, and by conducting independent research online, 84 percent of moms say the Web has made them more informed about children’s health issues.
Parents can find more information about H1N1 on BabyCenter. http://www.babycenter.com/swineflu
About BabyCenter, L.L.C.
BabyCenter is the leading global resource for parents, reaching 78 percent of new and expectant moms online in the United States, and 16 million parents monthly across 19 markets worldwide. BabyCenter has nurtured more than 100 million parents since its launch in 1997 providing a customized experience that blends trusted expert advice with mom-to-mom wisdom from pre-conception through age eight. As the voice of modern motherhood, BabyCenter is the go-to resource for 21st Century Mom™ insights.
Through its unique combination of content and community, BabyCenter delivers award-winning stage-based content to parents via personalized home pages, email newsletters, useful online and mobile tools, two popular parenting blogs (MomFormation.com™ and FameBaby.com®) and the BabyCenter Community, the fastest growing parenting community on the Web.
BabyCenter provides the most comprehensive, exclusive set of industry-leading 3D animated videos about pregnancy and birth while also housing a series of complete live birth videos with expert narration and commentary. Through its proprietary research and industry-leading mom panels, BabyCenter has helped some of the world’s leading brands better understand how to market to moms.
BabyCenter has garnered numerous prestigious awards, including six Webby Awards, two Mediapost OMMA Awards and was listed on Advertising Age’s 2008 “Digital A-List.” BabyCenter® is available on the Internet in eight languages and has mobile applications available in English, Spanish and Hindi. BabyCenter, LLC is based in San Francisco, California, and is a member of the Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) family of companies.
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