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Use of questionnaires in a study of spontaneous abortion in a general population
1Department of Environmental Hygiene, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Study Objective:
The aim was to evaluate the appropriateness of postal questionnaires in studies of spontaneous abortion in a general population.
Design:
Survey of spontaneous abortions by comparing diagnoses reported in questionnaires to information collected from hospital records and a discharge register.
Setting:
The study took place in the general community.
Participants:
The study involved a random sample of 1400 women born between 1935 and 1960, living in two towns in the south west of Sweden.
Measurements And Main Results:
9% of spontaneous abortions among respondents were not reported in the questionnaire, and 31% were missing in the register; 80% of the spontaneous abortions reported in the questionnaire could be verified in hospital records, and a further 7% were mentioned in the records but not certified by a doctor; 97% of the diagnoses received by the women who had answered affirmatively to two complementary questions on spontaneous abortions could be found in the records.
Conclusions:
Postal questionnaires can be used in epidemiological studies of spontaneous abortions, among a general population as well as among occupational groups.
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