Tate A Rosemary, Calderwood Lisa, Dezateux Carol, Joshi Heather
Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
Int J Epidemiol. 2006 Apr;35(2):294-8. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyi287. Epub 2005 Dec 22.
The increased use of computer-based records has facilitated linkage of routine data with that obtained for research. When children are involved, parental consent for linkage is usually required. The Millennium Cohort Study, of 18,819 UK babies born in 2000-02, over-sampled families from disadvantaged and ethnic wards, providing the opportunity to investigate factors associated with mother's consent to access her child's birth records.
Factors considered included ward type and mother's socioeconomic status, ethnicity, education, age, and language. Logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship of these factors with consent.
Consent for linkage to birth register and/or hospital maternity data was obtained from 92% of the cohort mothers. The proportions consenting differed according to the mother's country of residence, age, and education, with consent being less likely among minority ethnic group mothers, lone parents, and those with higher degrees or no qualifications. Where interviews had been translated, consent was significantly less likely if the interpreter was a male.
A large proportion of mothers who were interviewed gave permission for linkage. However, there were some groups who were less likely to do so, particularly those from minority ethnic groups. These sources of non-consent bias should be taken into account when analysing linked data from socially and ethnically mixed populations. Efforts should be made to understand the reasons for non-consent, which in turn will help determine the best ways to encourage more mothers to consent in future.
基于计算机的记录使用增加，促进了常规数据与研究所得数据的关联。涉及儿童时，通常需要父母同意进行数据关联。千禧队列研究追踪了18819名2000年至2002年在英国出生的婴儿，对来自弱势和不同种族社区的家庭进行了过度抽样，从而有机会调查与母亲同意获取其孩子出生记录相关的因素。
考虑的因素包括社区类型、母亲的社会经济地位、种族、教育程度、年龄和语言。采用逻辑回归分析这些因素与同意之间的关系。
92%的队列母亲同意将出生登记数据和/或医院产科数据进行关联。同意的比例因母亲的居住国、年龄和教育程度而异，少数族裔母亲、单亲母亲以及拥有更高学历或无学历的母亲同意的可能性较小。如果访谈进行了翻译，当口译员为男性时，同意的可能性显著降低。
接受访谈的母亲中很大一部分同意进行数据关联。然而，有一些群体同意的可能性较小，特别是少数族裔群体。在分析来自社会和种族混合人群的关联数据时，应考虑这些不同意带来的偏差来源。应努力了解不同意的原因，这反过来将有助于确定未来鼓励更多母亲同意的最佳方法。
