Assessment of parental attitudes towards children's participation in pediatric research

The vast majority of pediatric clinical care is based upon knowledge which originated within the adult population and was manipulated to fit within a childhood-aged population. It is especially important in pediatric research to address parental attitudes towards their child's participation in research. The purpose of this study was to assess parental attitudes and knowledge about their child's participation in pediatric research studies so that recommendations to improve participation could be made or inferred from the data obtained. One hundred and eleven parents completed a sixty item questionnaire that queried them about their attitudes towards children's participation in pediatric research. The results show that most respondents agreed that participation in pediatric research is important. It also demonstrated barriers to participation including blood draws, safety concerns and lack of time. Other factors such as family opinion, child's opinion and family doctor opinion were some of the important Issues parents consider before agreeing to allow their child to participate in a study.