Social Media Recruitment of Marginalized, Hard-to-Reach Populations: Development of Recruitment and Monitoring Guidelines

Russomanno, Jennifer; Patterson, Joanne G.; Jabson, Jennifer M.

doi:10.2196/14886

Cited by 57 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…A number of homophobic comments were posted which may have discouraged potential participants from engaging with the advertisements. While we did moderate these comments in order to remove discriminatory or bullying content (36), it is difficult to do this in real-time and the comments may have been seen regardless. Third, collecting contact information from someone who screened eligible does not guarantee that that individual will enroll as an RCT participant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online recruitment of youth for mHealth studies

Zlotorzynska¹,

Bauermeister²,

Golinkoff³

et al. 2021

mHealth

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Background: Social networking sites and apps have emerged as an opportunity to engage in research young men who have sex with men (YMSM) at risk of HIV infection who may not be otherwise reached by in-person recruitment efforts. This paper highlights lessons learned, best practices and on-going recruitment challenges in the iTech network of the NIH Adolescent Trials Network for HIV Interventions.Methods: Recruitment was conducted for four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mHealth HIV prevention interventions for YMSM living in 10 US cities. Advertising was purchased on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Grindr. Users who clicked on banner ads were taken directly to a studyspecific eligibility screener and if eligible, were asked to provide contact information for follow-up by respective study site staff. Ad and screening metrics (impressions, clicks, cost per click (CPC), click-through rate (CTR), number screened, number eligible, number who provided contact information and cost per eligible contact) were compared across platforms, studies and geographic areas (where available). Screening metrics were also calculated for in-person recruitment efforts.Results: Grindr and Snapchat ads produced the highest CTRs as compared to Facebook ads. However, these ads had the lowest proportions of users who initiated eligibility screeners and ultimately Facebook ads yielded the lowest cost per eligible contact across studies. Instagram ads yielded the highest proportions of eligible contacts who were racial/ethnic minorities and under the age of 18. Geographic variability in cost per eligible contact was observed for studies with identical eligibility criteria running concurrently in different regions, driven by both advertising costs and the screening and eligibility rates. Despite lower eligibility rates, the total numbers of eligible contacts were higher for online advertising campaigns, as compared to other recruitment efforts, for all studies except P3. Ads recruiting for P3 had the highest cost per eligible contact, likely due to this study having the most stringent eligibility criteria of the studies described. Conclusions:We implemented a successful online advertising strategy to recruit YMSM at high risk for HIV infection into four RCTs of mHealth interventions. This report provides a framework for evaluation of data from future online recruitment efforts across platforms and geographic areas, regardless of inevitable changes in the digital marketing space.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online recruitment of youth for mHealth studies

Zlotorzynska¹,

Bauermeister²,

Golinkoff³

et al. 2021

mHealth

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“…From January to February 2019, TGNC people living in the Southeast U.S. were recruited online via targeted Facebook advertisements to complete an online survey. This recruitment approach is an evidence-based method documented to successfully recruit stigmatized groups into research projects [18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Recruitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food insecurity and food pantry use among transgender and gender non-conforming people in the Southeast United States

Russomanno

Jabson

2020

BMC Public Health

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Background: Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people face high rates of poverty, joblessness, and homelessness, rendering this population vulnerable to experiencing food insecurity. Yet, there is almost no empirical evidence concerning food insecurity and the use of local and federal food assistance resources in the TGNC community. Food insecurity, the use of local and Federal food assistance resources, and associations with gender-related minority stressors and resilience using the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience (GMSR) scale among TGNC individuals living in the Southeast United States (U.S.) were documented in this study. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with TGNC people living in the Southeast U.S. Participants were recruited via targeted Facebook advertisements. Results: In total, 105 TGNC people completed the survey; 79% of survey participants experienced food insecurity, 19% utilized Federal, and 22% utilized local food assistance resources. High levels of minority stress and community resilience were reported. The GMSR resilience scale Pride (aOR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.00-1.19, p = .04) was significantly associated with the use of local food pantries, but minority stressors were not. No significant associations were found between GMSR and food security. Conclusion: TGNC people living in the Southeast U.S. experienced food insecurity, unstable housing, low wages, and social stigma that were a barrier to using emergency food resources. Multi-level public health solutions that address discriminatory legislative policies and create linkages between TGNC people and local and federal food assistance are required to address issues of food insecurity in the TGNC population.

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“…Given the increased popularity of online media and information platforms, many researchers are using web-based tools to recruit participants for medical, psychological, and sociological research studies (especially for stigmatized and hard-to-reach groups). Previous studies have shown that online methods can successfully recruit and manage people who are humiliated or discriminated against because of race, sexual orientation, or mental health status [ 17 , 18 ]. Our results confirmed recent literature regarding online recruitment of hard-to-reach people and expanded the scope of recruitment and management to the study population of sexual dysfunction and gut microbe research .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in the Gut Microbiome of Women With and Without Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Case Control Study

Li¹,

Li²,

Song³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

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Background The gut microbiome is receiving considerable attention as a potentially modifiable risk factor and therapeutic target for numerous mental and neurological diseases. Objective This study aimed to explore and assess the difference in the composition of gut microbes and fecal metabolites between women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) and healthy controls. Methods We employed an online recruitment method to enroll “hard-to-reach” HSDD populations. After a stringent diagnostic and exclusion process based on DSM-IV criteria, fecal samples collected from 24 women with HSDD and 22 age-matched, healthy controls underwent microbiome analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and metabolome analysis using untargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results We found a decreased abundance of Ruminococcaceae and increased abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus among women with HSDD. Fecal samples from women with HSDD showed significantly altered metabolic signatures compared with healthy controls. The abundance of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and several fecal metabolites correlated negatively with the sexual desire score, while the number of Ruminococcaceae correlated positively with the sexual desire score in all subjects. Conclusions Our analysis of fecal samples from women with HSDD and healthy controls identified significantly different gut microbes and metabolic signatures. These preliminary findings could be useful for developing strategies to adjust the level of human sexual desire by modifying gut microbiota. Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800020321; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=34267

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Social Media Recruitment of Marginalized, Hard-to-Reach Populations: Development of Recruitment and Monitoring Guidelines

Cited by 57 publications

References 43 publications

Online recruitment of youth for mHealth studies

Online recruitment of youth for mHealth studies

Food insecurity and food pantry use among transgender and gender non-conforming people in the Southeast United States

Differences in the Gut Microbiome of Women With and Without Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Case Control Study

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