Telephone recruitment
Approximately five days after the research information
was posted to potential participants, the research midwife
attempted to telephone them on three separate occasions.
The telephone call aimed to ensure the study
information was received, confirm eligibility, answer any
questions, and offer participation in the study. If the
woman gave verbal consent to participate, she was randomised
to intervention or control using a random sequence
of envelopes. Participant details were then
entered on the research database. Women allocated to
the intervention (YMGP) confirmed and formalised participation
in the trial by giving written consent at the
first booking visit (in the home). In the control group,
written consent was obtained at the first booking visit
in the hospital or community-based antenatal clinic.
Women who refused to give written consent were
excluded from the trial. Less than 20% (n = 5) were contactable
by the telephone method described above. If
women were un-contactable after three separate attempts,
then the referral was returned to the administration
office to make a first booking appointment with
the YWC midwife. The researcher undertook a parallel
process of face-to-face recruitment at the community
clinic. This recruitment process described is similar to
the method conducted successfully in the M@NGO
trial [44].