Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30206478›Full record

ArticleJournal of global health2018

Why some mothers overestimate birth size and length of pregnancy in rural Nepal.

Karen T Chang, Luke C Mullany, Subarna K Khatry, Steven C LeClerq, Melinda K Munos, Joanne Katz

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of global health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
4.0field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Karen T ChangJohns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Luke C MullanyJohns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Subarna K KhatryThe Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project-Sarlahi, Lalitpur, Nepal.
Steven C LeClerqJohns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Melinda K MunosJohns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Joanne KatzJohns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Johns Hopkins University · USNepal Development Research Institute · NP

Funding

Impact of Sunflower Oil Massage on Neonatal Mortality in NepalR01HD060712 · NICHD · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI MULLANY, LUKE C · 2009 to 2013
$2.9M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD060712
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundQuantitative validation studies alone may not be able to distinguish between instances when participants did not accurately report an event vs when participants did not understand a question. We used an explanatory qualitative study design to acquire an in-depth understanding of why some mothers in rural Nepal overestimate birth size of their newborn and their length of pregnancy.

methodsWe conducted two focus group discussions (FGDs) with study staff who administered a quantitative questionnaire and 12 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with mothers who had participated in a quantitative validation study. Transcripts were coded and analyzed for themes in patterns of meaning within and across FGDs and IDIs. Using this thematic map, we synthesized our data into common and divergent responses from participants to facilitate our interpretation of the quantitative findings.

resultsWe identified five themes specific to this analysis: difficulties with the length of pregnancy question, challenges in administering the birth size question, the perceived effect of time since birth on mothers' ability to remember information, the language and style differences specific to this setting, and the study context shaping the relationship between study staff and mothers who participated and how this may have influenced mothers' responses. Visual aids may help to scale the question about birth size within a cultural frame of reference for maternal reports to be more interpretable. Among both study staff and mothers, a longer period of time since the birth of a child was thought to be associated with diminished accuracy of maternal reports, a perception not supported by our previously published quantitative findings.

conclusionsPoor validity of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth indicators based on maternal reports may be partly attributed to challenges in maternal understanding of questions assessing birth size and length of pregnancy. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings regarding maternal comprehension and to further evaluate the utility of visual aids developed for this study.

Indexed as

Infant, Low Birth WeightPremature BirthRural PopulationSelf ReportAdolescentComprehensionFemaleFocus GroupsHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleMothersNepalReproducibility of ResultsYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID30206478
PMCPMC6122007
OpenAlexW2890208054

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.