Page 133 - Pro-active Management of Women’s Health after Cardiometabolic Complicated Pregnancies

3.3 Preferences for postpartum lifestyle counseling| 131
women preferred a separate visit so that they could pay full attention to counseling (and could choose whether or not to bring their child). All women stated that they were willing to pay a separate visit (or extra visits) for lifestyle counseling.
Computer-Tailored Counseling: Alternative or Supplement?
The use of computer-tailored lifestyle counseling was perceived as appealing. Women reported that a computer-tailored lifestyle promotion program should be readable, comprehensible and accurate. It would be appreciated if the progress of their lifestyle behaviors could be registered on the computer-tailored lifestyle promotion program. It was suggested that lifestyle behavior could be monitored and displayed in a graph, so that progress could be made “visible”. Women said this would stimulate them to (re)gain control and responsibility over their own lifestyle behavior.
The majority preferred a computer-tailored advice to be accessible on the Internet, so that they could complete the intervention wherever and whenever convenient. “Internet is widespread and universally accessible; when you’re not able to complete the intervention at home, there are lots of places where you can.” Moreover, it was suggested that a computer-tailored lifestyle program on the Internet could provide a forum. Such a forum was mentioned as an easy way to get in contact with other women who had experienced the same pregnancy complication. Others, however, perceived making contact with fellow suffers by means of a forum on the Internet as too impersonal.
Although the Internet was generally thought to be a suitable medium to offer computer-tailored lifestyle advice, it was mentioned that caution should be paid to safety on the Internet. The Internet connection has to be secure, and privacy has to be guaranteed. “It has to be a personal, protected space on the