title: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in Ireland: methods and response rates.
abstract: To describe response rates and characteristics associated with response to the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System study in Ireland (PRAMS Ireland). Using hospital discharge records of live births at a large, urban, obstetric hospital, a sampling frame of approximately 2,400 mother-infant pairs were used to alternately sample 1,200 women. Mothers' information including name, address, parity, age and infant characteristics such as sex and gestational age at delivery were extracted from records. Modes of contact included an invitation letter with option to opt out of the study, three mail surveys, a reminder letter and text message reminder for remaining non-respondents. Sixty-one per cent of women responded to the PRAMS Ireland survey over a 133 day response period. Women aged <30, single women, multiparous women and women with a preterm delivery were less likely to respond. Women participating in PRAMS Ireland were similar to the national birth profile in 2011 which had a mean age of 32, were 40 % primiparous, 33 % single or never married and had a 28 % caesarean section rate. Survey and protocol changes are required to increase response rates above recommended Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) thresholds of 65 % within the recommended 90 day data collection cycle. Additional efforts such as stratification and over-sampling are required to increase representativeness among hard to reach groups such as younger, single and multiparous women before expanding the project to an ongoing, national surveillance system in Ireland.
authors.affiliation: National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 5th Floor, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland, l.okeeffe@ucc.ie.
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: O'Keeffe
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kearney
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Greene
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007494:Ireland; D016015:Logistic Models; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014505:Urban Population