Evaluation of a web-based approach to data collection in molecular environmental epidemiological investigations of adverse pregnancy outcomes

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Project Period: 
2012
Collaborating Institution(s): 
Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders
UI Reproductive Molecular Epidemiology Research and Education Program
Project Investigator(s): 
Paul Romitti, Kristin Caspers, UI Dept. of Epidemiology
Gabriele Ludewig, UI Dept. of Occupational and Environmental Health
Michael Wichman, State Hygienic Laboratory
Peter Weyer, CHEEC
Abstract: 

Wireless telephone use, caller ID, and call blocking pose challenges to telephone-based data collection for epidemiological studies; smartphones, tablets, and increased access to the internet have removed both time and place demands of home-based communications. Telephone-based data collection in Iowa for the NBDPS has indicated a steady decline in participation rates. This case-control study will evaluate a web-based approach for molecular environmental epidemiological studies of adverse pregnancy outcomes. 240 infants with selected birth defects and 240 infants without defects will be selected and equally assigned to a web-based or a telephone-based group. They will be administered a questionnaire for maternal environmental exposures; mothers in the web-based group will electronically sign a consent form to use residual newborn bloodspots for biomonitoring; for the telephone-based group, the U.S. Postal Service will be used for hand-signed informed consents. Participation rates, sample representativeness, exposure reporting, and costs between the web-based and telephone-based groups will be compared. Investigators hypothesize that improved participation rates will be seen in the web-based group, which will permit increased generalization of study results and increased statistical power for studies.