Accuracy and reliability of maternal recall of infant birth weight among older women.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the accuracy and reliability of maternal recall of infant birth weight 35 to 70 years after delivery.


METHODS
A total of 120 well functioning women (mean age 80 years; 45% Black) reported the birth weight for each live birth and then provided documentation of birth weights (n = 22) or reported birth weights a second time (n = 98).


RESULTS
Agreement between recalled and documented birth weights was high for first births (ICC = 0.96) but moderate for subsequent births (ICC = 0.59). Maternal recall was highly reliable for first births (r = 0.95) and subsequent births (r = 0.87), and reliability remained high when considered separately by race, education, income, and age.


CONCLUSIONS
Women report accurate and reliable infant birth-weight data an average of 57 years after delivery, and recall is particularly precise for first births.
Catov
Janet M
JM
Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. jmcst43@pitt.edu
Newman
Anne B
AB
Kelsey
Sheryl F
SF
Roberts
James M
JM
Sutton-Tyrrell
Kim C
KC
Garcia
Melissa
M
Ayonayon
Hilsa N
HN
Tylavsky
Francis
F
Ness
Roberta B
RB
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results