potential participant. To increase the response rate a lottery incentive was given. At-risk criteria for psychosis were assessed with the Schizophrenia Prediction Instrument, Adult version (SPIA) and the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS). Results: 4.9% of the sample (n=5) turned out as ineligible. Of the remaining 97 persons (eligibility fraction: 95.1%), sufficient contact de...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To investigate possible changes in smoking and drinking habits during pregnancy and to elucidate the sociodemographic factors associated with these changes in Spanish women. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A total of 1004 pregnant women of between 12 and 18 weeks of gestation who were attending the antenatal clinic of the main regional hospital of V...

BACKGROUND Previous estimates of mortality in Iraq attributable to the 2003 invasion have been heterogeneous and controversial, and none were produced after 2006. The purpose of this research was to estimate direct and indirect deaths attributable to the war in Iraq between 2003 and 2011. METHODS AND FINDINGS We conducted a survey of 2,000 randomly selected households throughout Iraq, using a...

BACKGROUND The loss of participants in longitudinal studies due to non-contact, refusal or death can introduce bias into the results of such studies. The study described here examines reasons for refusal over three waves of a survey of persons aged >or=70 years. METHODS In a longitudinal study involving three waves, participants were compared to those who refused to participate but allowed an...

The feasibility and acceptability of collecting blood from children by venepuncture was assessed in a sample of 593 children from seven primary schools in Canterbury. Venepuncture is necessary to obtain blood for the measurement of haemoglobin, ferritin, and cholesterol in line with Department of Health surveys in England. Return of consent forms was 87%; 75% of parents in the total sample allo...

Star Wars II, Alien III and Rocky IV failed to arouse enthusiasm among moviegoers who had unconditionally appreciated the ‘seminal’ version of these famous movies. . . . However, Benestent II is neither a remake nor the continuing story of Benestent I. In 1990–91, some prominent European cardiologists, solicited for their collaboration, refused to participate in Benestent I for ethical reasons;...

OBJECTIVE To report on the identification, recruitment, and enrollment of adolescent survivors of childhood cancer into an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) of health promotion. METHODS A total of 244 adolescents were contacted by mail and telephone to assess their trial eligibility. Data were collected with respect to each adolescent's demographics and trial recruitment efforts (freq...

OBJECTIVE To assess parent's knowledge and perceptions surrounding polio and polio vaccination, self-reported participation in polio supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) targeting children aged < 5 years, and reasons for non-participation. METHODS The mixed methods study began with a cross-sectional survey in Karachi, Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was administered to assess par...