Exploring pragmatic acts in Ghanaian midwives’ Facebook posts

Abstract

In recent times, Ghanaian midwives are adopting social media to engage in outreach, patient education, and health and wellbeing promotion services. This study explores the pragmatic acts used by Ghanaian midwives in their educational posts targeted at pregnant women and women who have newborns (new mothers) on Facebook. Using the directed content analysis method, the study identified five types of pragmatic acts in the midwives posts. They are the introductory acts, explanatory acts, prescriptive acts, psychological acts, and closing acts. The findings show that during online maternal and child healthcare services, Ghanaian midwives mainly perform explanatory acts, prescriptive acts, and psychological acts to inform, guide, and support pregnant women and new mothers on Facebook. The use of social media for promoting maternal and child health care, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, is a relatively new phenomenon. However, it has the potential to provide immense help and support pregnant women and new mothers if used to complement in-person antenatal and postpartum care visits.

Keywords

social media / online education / pregnant women / prenatal / newborn / postpartum

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Johnson Julene K.: Writing - review & editing, Supervision. Thompson Rachel G. A.: Writing - review & editing, Writing - original draft, Funding acquisition, Data curation, Conceptualization. Anderson Jemima Asabea: Writing - review & editing, Validation. Agbaglo Ebenezer: Writing - review & editing, Validation. Ouner Jerry John: Writing - review & editing, Validation, Supervision.

Funding

This project was supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the University of Ghana Building a New Generation of Academics in Africa (BANGA-Africa) Project IV.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Data Availability

Data will be made available on request.

References

[1] Abuosi A. A., Anaba E. A., Daniels A. A., Baku A. A. A., & Akazili J. (2024). Determinants of early antenatal care visits among women of reproductive age in Ghana: evidence from the recent Maternal Health Survey. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 24(1), 309. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06490-3

[2] Adeoti O. O. (2023). A pragmatic analysis of selected newspapers’ coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 5(1), 93-113.

[3] Adu J., & Owusu M. F. (2023). How do we improve maternal and child health outcomes in Ghana? The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 38(4), 898-903.

[4] Agyekum K. (2019). The ethnopragmatics of Akan advice. Pragmatics, 3, 309-331.

[5] Allan K., Capone A., & Kecskes I. (2016). Pragmemes and theories of language use. Cham: Springer.

[6] Anderson J. A., Agbaglo E., & Thompson R. G. (2024). Exploring Ghanaians’ usage of ei, ehe, eh, and eish in Global Web-Based English Corpus. Corpus Pragmatics, 8(2), 131-148.

[7] Austin J. L. (1962). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press.

[8] Azaare J., Akweongo P., & Aryeetey G. C. (2020). Impact of free maternal health care policy on maternal health care utilization and perinatal mortality in Ghana: Protocol design for historical cohort study. Reproductive Health, 17, 169. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-01011-9

[9] Baron R. J., & Ejnes Y. D. (2022). Physicians spreading misinformation on social media -do right and wrong answers still exist in medicine? New England Journal of Medicine, 387, 1-3.

[10] Barros F. C., Matijasevich A., Requejo J. H., Giugliani E., Maranhão A. G., Monteiro C. A., Barros A. J., Bustreo F., Merialdi M., & Victora C. G. (2010). Recent trends in maternal, newborn, and child health in Brazil: Progress toward Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. American Journal of Public Health, 100(10), 1877-1889.

[11] Bergh, L. (2016). Tattooing as memorial pragmemes. In K. Allan, A. Capone, & I. Kecskes (Eds.), Pragmemes and theories of language use (pp.585-597). Cham: Springer.

[12] Blommaert J. (2010). The Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[13] Bouvier G. (2016). Social media and its impact on intercultural communication: The challenges for a discourse approach. Journal of Communication Arts, 34(3), 57-66.

[14] Capone A. (2005). Pragmemes (a study with reference to English and Italian). Journal of Pragmatics, 37, 1355-1371.

[15] Capone A. (2010). Editorial introduction of special issue on Pragmemes. Journal of Pragmatics, 42, 2861-2869.

[16] Capone A. (2020). Presuppositions as pragmemes: The case of exemplification acts. Intercultural Pragmatics, 17, 53-75. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2020-0002

[17] Capone A., & Graci R. (2024). Pragmemes revisited. A theoretical framework. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1329291. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1329291

[18] Chatwin J., Butler D., Jones J., James L., Choucri L., & McCarthy R. (2021). Experiences of pregnant mothers using a social media based antenatal support service during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK: Findings from a user survey. BMJ Open, 11(1), Article e040649.

[19] Craven A., & Potter J. (2010). Directives: Entitlement and contingency in action. Discourse Studies, 12, 419-442. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445610370126

[20] Curl T. S., & Drew P. (2008). Contingency and action: A comparison of two forms of requesting. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 41, 129-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/08351810802028613

[21] DeCamp M., Koenig T. W., & Chisolm M. S. (2013). Social media and physicians’ online identity crisis. JAMA, 310, 581-582.

[22] Dwomoh D., Agyabeng K., Agbeshie K., Incoom G., Nortey P., Yawson A., et al. (2020). Impact evaluation of the free maternal healthcare policy on the risk of neonatal Saharan and infant deaths in four sub-African countries: A quasiexperimental design with propensity score Kernel matching and difference in differences analysis. BMJ Open, 10(5), Article e033356.

[23] Ekström M., & Stevanovic M. (2023). Conversation analysis and power: Examining the descendants and antecedents of social action. Frontiers in Sociology, 8, Article 1196672. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1196672

[24] Evans M., Donelle L., & Hume-Loveland L. (2012). Social support and online postpartum depression discussion groups: A content analysis. Patient Education and Counseling, 87(3), 405-410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2011.09.011

[25] Garenne M. (2015). Maternal mortality in Africa: Investigating more, acting more. The Lancet Global Health, 3(7), e346-e347.

[26] Ghana Statistical Service. (2021). 2021 Population and Housing Census. Summary Report of Final Results. Retrieved from x03008;https://census2021.statsghana.gov.gh/〉Accessed on 30 April 2024.

[27] Houphouet E. E., Amfo N. A. A., Dordoye E. K., & Thompson R. (2018). Interactions in psychiatric care consultation in Akan speaking communities. Communication Medicine, 15(1), 40-52.

[28] Hsieh H. F., & Shannon S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288.

[29] John M., & Agbara C. (2021). Pragmatic analysis of selected Endsars placards. Mubi Journal of Languages, 3(1), 1-16.

[30] Jumaat N. F., Ahmad N., Abu Samah N., Ashari Z. M., Ali D. F., & Abdullah A. H. (2019). Facebook as a platform of social interactions for meaningful learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 14(4), 151-159.

[31] Kennedy B. M., Rehman M., Johnson W. D., et al. (2017). Healthcare providers versus patients’ understanding of health beliefs and values. Patient Experience Journal, 4, 29-37.

[32] Kochovska S. (2013). Expressing congratulations in Latin: The case of Cicero’s correspondence. Literatūra, 55, 27-37. https://doi.org/10.15388/Litera.2013.3.2503

[33] Kreidler C. (1998). Introducing English Semantics. London: Routledge.

[34] Lu Y., Wu Y., Liu J., Li J., & Zhang P. (2017). Understanding health care social media use from different stakeholder perspectives: A content analysis of an online health community. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(4), Article e109. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.7087

[35] Marsh A., Hundley V. A., Luce A., & Richens Y. (2023). The perfect birth: A content analysis of midwives’ posts about birth on Instagram. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23(1), 422. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-05706-2

[36] McCarthy R., Choucri L., Ormandy P., & Brettle A. (2017). Midwifery continuity: The use of social media. Midwifery, 52, 34-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2017.05.012

[37] Mey J. L. (2001). Pragmatics: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.

[38] Mey, J. L. (2006). Pragmatics:Overview. In J. L. Mey (Ed.), Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics (pp.786-797). Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.

[39] Morse H., & Brown A. (2023). UK midwives’ perceptions and experiences of using Facebook to provide perinatal support: Results of an exploratory online survey. PLOS Digital Health, 2(4), Article e0000043. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000043, 17.

[40] Nasri N., Dastjerdy H., & Ghadiri M. (2013). Congratulation across cultures: English versus Armenian and Persian speakers. Procedia, 70, 67-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.039

[41] Neiger B. L., Thackeray R., Burton S. H., Thackeray C. R., & Reese J. H. (2013). Use of Twitter among local health departments: An analysis of information sharing, engagement, and action. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15(8), Article e177. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2775

[42] Nyonator F. K., Awoonor-Williams J. K., Phillips J. F., Jones T. C., & Miller R. A. (2005). The Ghana community-based health planning and services initiative for scaling up service delivery innovation. Health Policy and Planning, 20(1), 25-34. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czi003

[43] Oluseyi F. D., Agbeleoba S. O., & Bamigboye O. (2023). Pragmatic acts in the language of alms begging in southwest Nigeria. International Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics, 6(3), 41-54.

[44] O’Neill, A. (2024). Fertility rate in Ghana 2022. Retrieved from 〈 https://www.statista.com/statistics/447512/fertility-rate-in-ghana/〉Accessed on 18 April 2024.

[45] Parvaresh V., & Capone A. (2017). The pragmeme of accommodation and intercultural pragmatics: The case of interaction around the event of death. Springer.

[46] Putri R. A., Sartini N. W., & Al Fajri M. S. (2020). The analysis of illocutionary acts of judges’ comments in America’s next top model and Asia’s next top model competitions: A cross-cultural pragmatic study. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 16(4), 1885-1898.

[47] Radulović M., & Jovanović V. Ž. (2020). The pragmeme of disagreement and its allopracts in English and Serbian political interview discourse. Pragmatics, 30(4), 586-613.

[48] Ray K. N., Chari A. V., Engberg J., et al. (2015). Disparities in time spent seeking medical care in the United States. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175, 1983-1986.

[49] Rezaee R., Ravangard R., Amani F., Dehghani Tafti A., Shokrpour N., & Bahrami M. A. (2022). Healthy lifestyle during pregnancy: Uncovering the role of online health information seeking experience. PLoS One, 17(8), Article e0271989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271989

[50] Richard C., Lussier M. T., Millette B., & Tanoubi I. (2023). Healthcare providers and patients: An essay on the importance of professional assertiveness in healthcare today. Medical Education Online, 28(1), 2200586.

[51] Roberts-Lewis S. F., Baxter H. A., Mein G., Quirke-McFarlane S., Leggat F. J., Garner H. M., Powell M., White S., & Bearne L. (2023). The use of social media for dissemination of research evidence to health and social care practitioners: Protocol for a systematic review. JMIR Research Protocols, 12, Article e45684. https://doi.org/10.2196/45684

[52] Sahoo K. C., Negi S., Patel K., Mishra B. K., Palo S. K., & Pati S. (2021). Challenges in maternal and child health services delivery and access during pandemics or public health disasters in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Healthcare (Basel), 9(7), 828. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9070828

[53] Sasu D.D. (2024). Number of active social media users in Ghana 2017-2024. Retrieved from 〈 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1171445/number-of-social-media-users -ghana/〉Accessed on 30 April 2024.

[54] Searle J. R. (1979). Expression and meaning:Studies in the theory of speech acts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[55] Smedley R. M., & Coulson N. S. (2018). A practical guide to analysing online support forums. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(1), 76-103.

[56] Solomon-Etefia P. O. (2018). Pragmemes in outdoor HIV/AIDS campaign messages in Benin Metropolis, Nigeria. Journal of Universal Language, 19(1), 85-114.

[57] Sorjonen, M.-L., Raevaara L., & Couper-Kuhlen E. (2017). Imperative turns at talk:An introduction. In M. L. Sorjonen, L. Raevaara, & E. Couper-Kuhlen (Eds.), Imperative Turns At Talk: The Design of Directives in Action (pp.1-24). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/slsi.30.

[58] Thompson R. (2019). Tweaa! - A Ghanaian interjection of "contempt" in online political comments. Ampersand: An International Journal of General and Applied Linguistics, 6, 1-7.

[59] Thompson R. (2021). Insults in political comments on GhanaWeb: Ethnopragmatic perspectives. Pragmatics and Society, 12(1), 33-58.

[60] Toprak T. E. (2020). A study on the use of suggestion strategies among Turkish EFL learners. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 11(1), 36-55.

[61] Tseng M.-Y., & Zhang G. (2018). Pragmeme, adaptability, and elasticity in online medical consultations. Journal of Pragmatics, 137, 40-56.

[62] Tseng M.-Y. (2023). Rén qíng wèi (’flavour of human feelings’) in the pragmeme of delivering Covid-19 directives. Journal of Pragmatics, 218, 31-44.

[63] Unuabonah F., & Kupolati O. (2023). Generic structure and pragmatic acts in Yoruba traditional weddings in Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Pragmatics, 211, 15-26.

[64] Van Couvering E. (2021). Faces and charts: Platform strategies for visualising the audience, the case of Facebook. Information, Communication Society, 25(11), 1524-1541.

[65] Wang X., Ahrens K., & Huang C.-R. (2022). The distance between illocution and perlocution: A tale of different pragmemes to call for social distancing in two cities. Intercultural Pragmatics, 19(1), 1-33.

[66] Wong J. (2010). The triple articulation of language. Journal of Pragmatics, 42, 2932-2944.