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BACKGROUND: The validity of the results of studies using retrospectively collected information on exposures is often criticized, because cases may report differently from controls even if their true exposure status is the same. This study was performed to quantify the extent to which this effect (differential misclassification) may occur for alcohol and cigarette consumption by pregnancy outcome. METHODS: Prospective as well as retrospective information on alcohol and cigarette consumption was collected for 2806 mothers resident in all 12 provinces of the Netherlands, who gave birth between 1978 and 1979. Changes in mean reported consumption and changes from user to non-user based on retrospective and prospective information were compared for cases and controls. This was done by calculating absolute differences (retrospective minus prospective) in reported consumption and by calculating 'misclassification odds ratios'. Further, conventional odds ratios based on retrospective information were compared with those based on prospective information. Outcome measures were stillbirth, small for gestational age (SGA), congenital malformations, preterm birth and low birthweight. RESULTS: The only statistically significant result was found for smoking and SGA. Mothers with an SGA child retrospectively reported a higher number of cigarettes smoked than they had prospectively, more so than mothers of a control child. However, the odds ratios of the relation between SGA and smoking based on prospective and retrospective information, respectively, were virtually the same. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that information bias is unlikely to have a large influence on effect estimates in studies using retrospective information on alcohol and cigarette consumption.
Verkerk et al. (Sat,) studied this question.