Alderdice F, Petty T, Johnson A, Macfarlane A
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 1998 Jul;52(7):439-44. doi: 10.1136/jech.52.7.439.
To test the feasibility of using a postal survey to assess health and development in 7 year old children of different birth weights and to examine the response and any resulting response bias.
A multi-stage postal survey, using a sample stratified by birth weight.
The four counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Northamptonshire, which make up the former Oxford NHS Region.
All children born in 1985 to the residents of the former Oxford region who weighed either under 1500 g or over 5000 g at birth and all those with unstated birth weight were included. Samples of approximately 130 live births were randomly selected from each 500 g birth weight band between 1500 g and 5000 g. The total sample size was 1319.
The children in the sample were identified from birth registration and traced through the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR). Self administered questionnaires were sent through the relevant Family Health Service Authority (FHSA) and then via the child's general practitioner (GP) to the child's parent(s). When parents' permission was given, self administered questionnaires were also sent to the child's GP and teacher.
Of the 1319 children, 1169 were alive at the age of 7 and were successfully traced. Questionnaires were forwarded by GPs to parents of 1071 children and completed questionnaires were obtained from parents of 805 children. Parents of 753 children gave permission to approach the child's teacher and replies were received for 695. Parents of 770 children gave permission to send a questionnaire to the child's GP and 724 were returned completed. Response bias was assessed for the parents' questionnaire using data recorded about all births at birth registration. Response rates varied by sex of child, social class, and country of birth of the father. In addition, parents with a child with a serious motor or sensory deficit appeared to be more likely to respond.
Response rates at each stage of the survey were good. The bias in response to the parents' questionnaire needs to be taken into consideration in future work. The method was found to be feasible and could be applied more widely than in monitoring child health.
检验通过邮寄调查问卷来评估不同出生体重的7岁儿童健康状况及发育情况的可行性，并研究回复情况及由此产生的回复偏差。
采用多阶段邮寄调查，样本按出生体重分层。
构成前牛津国民健康服务地区的牛津郡、白金汉郡、伯克郡和北安普敦郡四个县。
纳入了1985年在前牛津地区出生、出生体重低于1500克或高于5000克的所有儿童，以及出生体重未注明的所有儿童。在1500克至5000克之间，从每个500克出生体重区间随机抽取约130例活产样本。总样本量为1319例。
从出生登记中识别样本中的儿童，并通过国民健康服务中央登记处（NHSCR）进行追踪。自行填写的问卷通过相关的家庭健康服务管理局（FHSA）发送，然后通过孩子的全科医生（GP）转交给孩子的父母。在获得父母同意后，自行填写的问卷也会发送给孩子的全科医生和老师。
1319名儿童中，1169名在7岁时仍然存活并被成功追踪。全科医生将问卷转发给了1071名儿童的父母，从805名儿童的父母那里获得了已填写完成的问卷。753名儿童的父母同意联系孩子的老师，收到了695份回复。770名儿童的父母同意向孩子的全科医生发送问卷，724份问卷被填好返回。使用出生登记时记录的所有出生数据对父母问卷的回复偏差进行了评估。回复率因孩子性别、社会阶层和父亲的出生地而异。此外，孩子有严重运动或感觉缺陷的父母似乎更有可能回复。
调查各阶段的回复率良好。在未来的工作中需要考虑对父母问卷回复的偏差。该方法被证明是可行的，并且可以比监测儿童健康更广泛地应用。
