Diversity of representation in pregnancy research: A national mixed-methods survey of women’s perceptions and experiences in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Aim

To explore the experiences and perceptions of women who may take part in antenatal research, including their perceived motivators, enablers, and barriers to participating in research with a sub-analysis of under-represented groups.

Methods

A mixed-methods parallel explanatory design was employed, and a national semi-structured online survey was circulated nationally using a start to end participatory framework. Likert scale responses and participant experience and demographic data were cross-tabulated to explore the differences between groups using descriptive and non-parametric statistics. A content analysis was used to explore open-ended questions and generate coding clusters. The qualitative and quantitative results were then merged using a using a pillar integration process.

Findings

There were 260 survey responses across the UK, from Oct to Nov 2021 as part of wider research. Three meta-themes were developed from the merged integration: 1. Participation being mediated by perceptions and experience of safety, convenience, and communication, 2. Lived experience and education may increase access to research participation, and 3. Sociocultural differences may lead to research hesitancy.

Conclusion

Clinical researchers and research delivery teams working in antenatal settings, have the potential to impact the inclusion of underserved communities through facilitative research designs, well considered communication strategies, and authentic relationships which support participant education about research.