Maternal attitudes towards participation in a mother-baby research study

Barnett, Sara and Jones, Christine E. (2015) Maternal attitudes towards participation in a mother-baby research study. British Journal of Midwifery, 23 (2), 136-139. (doi:10.12968/bjom.2015.23.2.136).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Maternal attitudes to participation in an observational research study were assessed using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The study involved collecting blood samples from mothers and infants after birth and at 5 months postpartum to analyse the concentration of specific antibodies against vaccine preventable diseases. The most common reason for study participation was a desire to further scientific knowledge (n=29; 44%); a smaller number were motivated by the benefits of study participation for their baby (n=11; 17%). Most mothers were not upset, or only a little upset, by blood sampling from their newborn; only a minority found it very upsetting. Most women expressed that they had derived some benefit from study participation as they were reminded when their babies' vaccines were due. This study has shown that participation in a study involving blood sampling of newborn babies was acceptable to participating women and this may encourage health professionals to consider postpartum mothers and neonates as candidates for inclusion in research studies.

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