Determinants of response to a parent questionnaire about development and behaviour in 3 year olds: European multicentre study of congenital toxoplasmosis.
BACKGROUND
We aimed to determine how response to a parent-completed postal questionnaire measuring development, behaviour, impairment, and parental concerns and anxiety, varies in different European centres.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study of 3 year old children, with and without congenital toxoplasmosis, who were identified by prenatal or neonatal screening for toxoplasmosis in 11 centres in 7 countries. Parents were mailed a questionnaire that comprised all or part of existing validated tools. We determined the effect of characteristics of the centre and child on response, age at questionnaire completion, and response to child drawing tasks.


RESULTS
The questionnaire took 21 minutes to complete on average. 67% (714/1058) of parents responded. Few parents (60/1058) refused to participate. The strongest determinants of response were the score for organisational attributes of the study centre (such as direct involvement in follow up and access to an address register), and infection with congenital toxoplasmosis. Age at completion was associated with study centre, presence of neurological abnormalities in early infancy, and duration of prenatal treatment. Completion rates for individual questions exceeded 92% except for child completed drawings of a man (70%), which were completed more by girls, older children, and in certain centres.


CONCLUSIONS
Differences in response across European centres were predominantly related to the organisation of follow up and access to correct addresses. The questionnaire was acceptable in all six countries and offers a low cost tool for assessing development, behaviour, and parental concerns and anxiety, in multinational studies.
The Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Institute of Child Health, London, UK. a.salt@ich.ucl.ac.uk
A
A
Salt
K
K
Freeman
A
A
Prusa
N
N
Ferret
W
W
Buffolano
G
G
Malm
D
D
Schmidt
H K
HK
Tan
R E
RE
Gilbert
E
E
Petersen
D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010290:Parents; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014125:Toxoplasmosis, Congenital / Q000150:complications*