Currently, in collaboration with The Burnet, I work in project teams studying user-generated social media responses to COVID-19 public health measures (TIGERC19) â e.g., (Saich et al., 2021) and (Power et al., 2021) â especially for pregnancy (SCOOP) (Caddy et al., 2023), and in analysing how Caesarean sections are portrayed on Indonesian social media (Zahroh et al., 2024).
Collaborators include: Robert Power, Cassandra Caddy (The Burnet); Alyce Wilson & team (The Burnet); Rana Zahroh (former PhD student), Meghan Bohren, Caroline Homer & team (UniMelb/The Burnet).
I also work in analysing biases on health-related information systems and AI systems to help ensure that they are used in an ethical and equitable fashion. Current PhD supervisions involve the study of MHWB and digital platform use amongst international students, and the implications of AI use in the mental healthcare space. Other interdisciplinary health research involves NLP methods for detecting markers of low mental health and well being (MHWB), including use of social media amongst university students.
Collaborators include: Guanyu Wang* (PhD candidate, UniMelb), Antonette Mendoza (UniMelb), Jonny Low* (PhD candidate, Monash/VU), Roisin McNaney (Monash), John Grundy (Monash), Judith Hope (Monash), Alex Lee (UniMelb), Joanne Byrne (UniMelb), Yen Cheung (Monash), Eddie Robinson (Monash), Jojo Wong (La Trobe), Sudhir Mandarapu & Zhehui Yang (former Honours students, Monash).
References
2024
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Rising caesarean section rates and factors affecting womenâs decision-making about mode of birth in Indonesia: a longitudinal qualitative study
Rana Islamiah Zahroh, Alya Hazfiarini, Moya A D Martiningtyas, Fitriana Murriya Ekawati, Ova Emilia, Marc Cheong, Ana Pilar Betran, Caroline S E Homer, and Meghan A Bohren
2024
IntroductionCaesarean section (CS) rates in Indonesia are increasing rapidly. Understanding womenâs preferences about mode of birth is important to help contextualise these rising rates and can help develop interventions to optimise CS. This study aimed to explore Indonesian womenâs preferences and decision-making about mode of birth, and how their preferences may change throughout pregnancy and birth.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal qualitative study using in-depth interviews with 28 women accessing private and public health facilities in Jakarta, the region with the highest CS rates. Interviews were conducted two times: during the womanâs third trimester of pregnancy and in the postpartum period, between October 2022 and March 2023. We used a reflexive thematic approach for analysis.ResultsWe generated three themes: (1) preferences about the mode of birth, (2) decision-making about the mode of birth and (3) regrets about the actual mode of birth. Most women preferred vaginal birth. However, they were influenced by advertisements promoting enhanced recovery after CS (ERACS) as an âadvanced techniqueâ of CS, promising a comfortable, painless and faster recovery birth. This messaging influenced women to perceive CS as equivalent or even superior to vaginal birth. Where womenâs preferences for mode of birth shifted around the time of birth, this was primarily due to the obstetriciansâ discretion. Women felt they did not receive adequate information from obstetricians on the benefits and risks of CS and vaginal birth and felt disappointed when their actual mode of birth was not aligned with their preferences.ConclusionOur study shows that despite rising CS rates, Indonesian women prefer vaginal birth. This highlights the need for better communication strategies and evidence-based information from healthcare providers. Given the rising popularity of ERACS, more work is urgently needed to standardise and regulate its use.
2023
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"Tell us whatâs going on": Exploring the information needs of pregnant and post-partum women in Australia during the pandemic with âTweetsâ, âThreadsâ, and womenâs views
Cassandra Caddy, Marc Cheong, Megan S C Lim, Robert Power, Joshua P Vogel, Zoe Bradfield, Benjamin Coghlan, Caroline S E Homer, and Alyce N Wilson
2023
INTRODUCTION: The provision of maternity services in Australia has been significantly disrupted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many changes were initiated quickly, often with rapid dissemination of information to women. The aim of this study was to better understand what information and messages were circulating regarding COVID-19 and pregnancy in Australia and potential information gaps. METHODS: This study adopted a qualitative approach using social media and interviews. A data analytics tool (TIGER-C19) was used to extract data from social media platforms Reddit and Twitter from June to July 2021 (in the middle of the third COVID-19 wave in Australia). A total of 21 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with those who were, or had been, pregnant in Australia since March 2020. Social media data were analysis via inductive content analysis and interview data were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Social media provided a critical platform for sharing and seeking information, as well as highlighting attitudes of the community towards COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. Women interviewed described wanting further information on the risks COVID-19 posed to themselves and their babies, and greater familiarity with the health service during pregnancy, in which they would labour and give birth. Health providers were a trusted source of information. Communication strategies that allowed participants to engage in real-time interactive discussions were preferred. A real or perceived lack of information led participants to turn to informal sources, increasing the potential for exposure to misinformation. CONCLUSION: It is vital that health services communicate effectively with pregnant women, early and often throughout public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This was particularly important during periods of increased restrictions on accessing hospital services. Information and communication strategies need to be clear, consistent, timely and accessible to reduce reliance on informal and potentially inaccurate sources.
2021
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The Optimise Study: Vaccination knowledge, attitudes and beliefs
Freya Saich, Edwin Kwong, Katherine Heath, Aimée Altermatt, Stephanie Munari, Bronwen Merner, Sophie Hill, Mark Stoové, Daniel Griffiths, Alex Collie, Megan Lim, Sarah Eddy, Niamh Meagher, Colin McDougall, Katitza Marinkovic Chavez, Lauren Carpenter, Stephanie Fletcher-Lartey, David Price, Lisa Gibbs, Freya Shearer, Robert Power, Marc Cheong, Cassandra Caddy, Alisa Pedrana, Katherine Gibney, and Margaret Hellard
2021
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Timely Integration of User Generated Responses to C19: TIGER C19 - Report 6, September 2021
Robert Power, Ben Coghlan, Marc Cheong, Simon Coghlan, and Cassie Caddy
2021
