Methods | Response | Difficulty incurred |
---|---|---|
Method 1: MaBEL posters placed in specified areas of hospitals and GP surgeries | No response | NA |
Method 2: leaflets distributed in hospitals after antenatal classes | Received no response from the South Asians and little response from Caucasian participants | The majority of women were identified late in gestation (>36 weeks) when routine blood sampling is not performed. Thus, these women become ineligible for inclusion. |
Method 3: Direct approaches to potential participants in antenatal clinics | Very good response. Fewer than 19% of those approached declined to take part (see later). | Gave consent but participants sometimes forgot or neglected to give a request slip to their midwife/phlebotomist to collect blood for MaBEL. |
GP, general practitioner; MaBEL, Mother's and Baby's Exposure to Lead; NA, not available