Background: In an age where digital platforms shape health-related behaviors, parents frequently turn to online communities to seek, validate, or challenge health information concerning their children. Minor pediatric health concerns, such as supplement use, over-the-counter treatments, and natural remedies, are often influenced by peer narratives rather than professional advice.Objective: To explore how parents make health decisions about minor pediatric issues by analyzing discussions from public online platforms through qualitative thematic analysis.Methods: A total of 120 discussion threads and 450 user comments were collected from parenting forums, blogs, and open-access social media groups between January 2023 and April 2024. Data were coded and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis framework. Inter-coder reliability was confirmed using Cohen’s kappa (κ=0.82).Results: Four core themes were identified: (1) Trust Hierarchies – parents toggled between medical and peer advice; (2) Brand Influence – social proof shaped product preferences; (3) Risk Perception – decision-making varied with child’s age and symptom severity; (4) Information Chaos – contradictory content online caused confusion and anxiety.Conclusions: Parents are increasingly navigating pediatric health decisions within a complex digital information ecosystem. Their reliance on online narratives, brand reputation, and perceived safety underscores the need for better health communication strategies and digital health literacy interventions tailored to caregivers.
Ayhan Çeri (Thu,) studied this question.