Concordance between maternal recall of birth complications and data from obstetrical records

Abstract Background Prenatal complications are associated with poor outcomes in the offspring. Access to medical records is limited in the United States and investigators often rely on maternal report of prenatal complications. Study design and aims We tested concordance between maternal recall and birth records in a community-based sample of mothers participating in a longitudinal study in order to determine the accuracy of maternal recall of perinatal complications. Subjects Participants were 151 biological mothers, who were interviewed about gestational age at birth, birthweight, and the most commonly occurring birth complications: nuchal cord and meconium aspiration when the female child was on average 6 years old, and for whom birth records were obtained. Outcome measures: Concordance between reports was assessed using one-way random intra-class coefficients for continuous measures and kappa coefficients for dichotomous outcomes. Associations between maternal demographic and psychological factors and discrepancies also were tested. Results Concordance was excellent for continuously measured birthweight (ICC = 0.85, p  Conclusions Concordance between maternal retrospective report and medical birth records varies across different types of perinatal events. There was little evidence that demographic or psychological factors increased the risk of discrepancies. Maternal recall based on continuous measures of perinatal factors may yield more valid data than dichotomous outcomes.