Web intervention for OEF/OIF veterans with problem drinking and PTSD symptoms: a randomized clinical trial. Overcoming recruitment challenges of web-based interventions for tobacco use: the case of web-based acceptance and commitment therapy for smoking cessation. Internet-Based Recruitment to a Depression Prevention Intervention: Lessons From the Mood Memos Study Recruitment and retention of young women into nutrition research studies: practical considerations Online Respondent-Driven Sampling for Studying Contact Patterns Relevant for the Spread of Close-Contact Pathogens: A Pilot Study in Thailand The household economic burden of eating disorders and adherence to treatment in Australia Does Brief Telephone Support Improve Engagement With a Web-Based Weight Management Intervention? Randomized Controlled Trial The Role of Social Media in Recruiting for Clinical Trials in Pregnancy The Global Online Sexuality Survey (GOSS): the United States of America in 2011. Chapter I: erectile dysfunction among English-speakers. Using Facebook™ to Recruit College-Age Men for a Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Trial The Global Online Sexuality Survey (GOSS): male homosexuality among Arabic-speaking internet users in the Middle East--2010.
OBJECTIVE Veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) and Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) commonly experience alcohol misuse and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) following their return from deployment to a war zone . We conducted a r and omized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed , 8-module , self-management web intervention ( VetChange ) based on motivational and cognitive-behavioral principles to reduce alcohol consumption , alcohol-related problems , and PTSD symptoms in returning combat veterans . METHOD Six hundred participants , recruited through targeted Facebook ads , were r and omized to either an Initial Intervention Group ( IIG ; n = 404 ) or a Delayed Intervention Group ( DIG ; n = 196 ) that waited 8 weeks for access to VetChange . Primary outcome measures were Drinks per Drinking Day , Average Weekly Drinks , Percent Heavy Drinking Days , and PTSD symptoms . Intent-to-treat analyses compared changes in outcome measures over time between IIG and DIG as well as within-group changes . RESULTS IIG participants demonstrated greater reductions in drinking ( p < .001 for each measure ) and PTSD symptoms ( p = .009 ) between baseline and end-of-intervention than did DIG participants between baseline and the end of the waiting period . DIG participants showed similar improvements to those in IIG following participation in VetChange .  Alcohol problems were also reduced within each group between baseline and 3-month follow-up . CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that VetChange is effective in reducing drinking and PTSD symptoms in OIF/OEF veterans . Further studies of VetChange are needed to assess web-based recruitment and retention methods and to determine VetChange 's effectiveness in demographic and clinical sub- population s of returning veterans Web-based behavioral interventions for substance use are being developed at a rapid pace , yet there is a dearth of information regarding the most effective methods for recruiting participants into web-based intervention trials . In this paper , we describe our successful recruitment of participants into a pilot trial of  web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ( ACT ) for smoking cessation and compare traditional and web-based methods of recruitment in terms of their effects on baseline participant characteristics , association with study retention and treatment outcome , yield , and cost-effectiveness . Over a 10-week period starting June 15 , 2010 , we recruited 222 smokers for a web-based smoking cessation study using a variety of recruitment methods . The largest portion of r and omized participants were recruited through Google AdWords ( 36 % ) , followed by  medical Internet media ( 23 % ) ,  st and ard media ( 14 % ) , word of mouth ( 12 % ) ,  broadcast emails ( 11 % ) , and  social media ( 6 % ) . Recruitment source was not related to baseline participant characteristics , 3-month data retention , or 30-day point prevalence smoking abstinence at the 3-month outcome assessment . Cost per r and omized participant ranged from $ 5.27/participant for word of mouth to $ 172.76/participant for social media , with a mean cost of $ 42.48/participant . Our diversified approach to recruitment , including both traditional and web-based methods , enabled timely enrollment of participants into the study . Because there was no evidence of a substantive difference in baseline characteristics , retention , or outcomes based on recruitment channel , the yield and cost-effectiveness of recruitment methods may be the more critical considerations in developing a feasible recruitment plan for a web-based smoking cessation intervention study Background Recruiting participants to r and omized controlled trials of health interventions can be very difficult . Internet-based recruitment is becoming an increasingly important mode of recruitment , yet there are few detailed accounts of experiences recruiting participants to mental health interventions . Objective To report on our experience with Internet-based recruitment to an online depression prevention intervention and pass on lessons we learned . Methods Participants were recruited to the Mood Memos study , an online preventive depression intervention , purely through Internet-based sources . The study was targeted to adults with subthreshold depression symptoms from several English-speaking countries . A variety of online recruitment sources were trialed , including search engine advertising ( Google , Yahoo ! , Bing ) , Facebook advertising , posts in forums and online noticeboards , and promotion through relevant websites and email newsletters of mental health organizations . Results The study website received visits from 94,808 individuals over the 14-month recruitment period . The recruitment target was reached with 1699 individuals signing up to the r and omized controlled trial and 1326 fully enrolling . Most visitors arrived via Google advertising , which promoted a depression-screening question naire . Google advertising accounted for nearly half of the total participants who signed up to the study , at an average cost of AUD $ 12 per participant . Promoting the study through trustworthy organizations and websites known to participants was also effective . Recruitment techniques that were less effective were contacting forums , email groups , and community noticeboards . Conclusions Several techniques , including Google advertising , were successful in recruiting participants to a trial evaluating an online depression intervention . Results suggest that Internet-based recruitment to mental health interventions is feasible and can be relatively affordable . Trial Registration Background Successful recruitment and retention of participants into research studies is critical for optimising internal and external validity . Research into diet and lifestyle of young women is important due to the physiological transitions experienced at this life stage . This paper aims to evaluate data related to recruitment and retention across three research studies with young women , and present practical advice related to recruiting and retaining young women in order to optimise study quality within nutrition research . Methods Recruitment and retention strategies used in three nutrition studies that targeted young women ( 18 to 35 years ) were critiqued . A r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) , a crossover validation study and a cross-sectional survey were conducted at the University of Newcastle , Australia between 2010 and 2013Successful recruitment was defined as maximum recruitment relative to time . Retention was assessed as maximum participants remaining enrolled at study completion . Results Recruitment approaches included notice boards , web and social network sites ( Facebook and Twitter ) , with social media most successful in recruitment . The online survey had the highest recruitment in the shortest time-frame ( 751 participants in one month ) . Email , phone and text message were used in study one ( RCT ) and study two ( crossover validation ) and assisted in low attrition rates , with 93 % and 75.7 % completing the RCT and crossover validation study respectively . Of those who did not complete the RCT , reported reasons were : being too busy ; and having an unrelated illness . Conclusion Recruiting young women into nutrition research is challenging . Use of social media enhances recruitment , while Email , phone and text message contact improves retention within interventions . Further research comparing strategies to optimise recruitment and retention in young women , including flexible testing times , reminders and incentives is warranted Background Information on social interactions is needed to underst and the spread of airborne infections through a population . Previous studies mostly collected egocentric information of independent respondents with self-reported information about contacts . Respondent-driven sampling ( RDS ) is a sampling technique allowing respondents to recruit contacts from their social network . We explored the feasibility of webRDS for study ing contact patterns relevant for the spread of respiratory pathogens . Material s and Methods We developed a webRDS system for facilitating and tracking recruitment by Facebook and email . One-day diary surveys were conducted by applying webRDS among a convenience sample of Thai students . Students were asked to record numbers of contacts at different setting s and self-reported influenza-like-illness symptoms , and to recruit four contacts whom they had met in the previous week . Contacts were asked to do the same to create a network tree of socially connected individuals . Correlations between linked individuals were analysed to investigate assortativity within networks . Results We reached up to 6 waves of contacts of initial respondents , using only non- material incentives . Forty-four ( 23.0 % ) of the initially approached students recruited one or more contacts  . In total 257 persons participated , of which 168 ( 65.4 % ) were recruited by others . Facebook was the most popular recruitment option ( 45.1 % ) . Strong assortative mixing was seen by age , gender and education , indicating a tendency of respondents to connect to contacts with similar characteristics . R and om mixing was seen by reported number of daily contacts . Conclusions Despite method ological challenges ( e.g. clustering among respondents and their contacts ) , applying RDS provides new insights in mixing patterns relevant for close-contact infections in real-world networks . Such information increases our knowledge of the transmission of respiratory infections within population s and can be used to improve existing modelling approaches . It is worthwhile to further develop and explore webRDS for the detection of clusters of respiratory symptoms in social networks Background This study investigated the household economic burden of eating disorders and cost-related non-adherence to treatment in Australia . Methods Multi-centre prospect i ve observational study using a structured question naire . Ninety participants were recruited from two clinic setting s in New South Wales , Australia and from the community using social media . The primary outcome measures were household economic burden of illness measured in terms of out-of-pocket expenditure , household economic hardship and cost-related non-adherence . Results The pattern of out-of-pocket expenditure varied by diagnosis , with Bulimia Nervosa associated with the highest total mean expenditure ( per three months ) . Economic hardship was reported in 96.7 % of participants and 17.8 % reported cost-related non-adherence . Those most likely to report cost-related non-adherence had a longer time since diagnosis . Cost-related non-adherence and higher out-of-pocket expenditure were associated with poorer quality of life , a more threatening perception of the impact of the illness and poor self-reported health . Conclusions This study is the first to empirically and quantitatively examine the household economic burden of eating disorders from the patient perspective . Results indicate that households experience a substantial burden associated with the treatment and management of an eating disorder . This burden may contribute to maintaining the illness for those who experience cost-related non-adherence and by negatively influencing health outcomes . Current initiatives to implement sustainable and integrated models of care for eating disorders should strive to minimise the economic impact of treatment on families Background Recent review s suggest Web-based interventions are promising approaches for weight management but they identify difficulties with suboptimal usage . The literature suggests that offering some degree of human support to website users may boost usage and outcomes . Objective We disseminated the POWeR ( “ Positive Online Weight Reduction ” ) Web-based weight management intervention in a community setting . POWeR consisted of weekly online sessions that emphasized self-monitoring , goal - setting , and cognitive/behavioral strategies . Our primary outcome was intervention usage and we investigated whether this was enhanced by the addition of brief telephone coaching . We also explored group differences in short-term self-reported weight loss . Methods Participants were recruited using a range of methods including targeted mailouts , advertisements in the local press , notices on organizational websites , and social media .  A total of 786 adults were r and omized at an individual level through an online procedure to ( 1 ) POWeR only ( n=264 ) , ( 2 ) POWeR plus coaching ( n=247 ) , or ( 3 ) a waiting list control group ( n=275 ) . Those in the POWeR plus coaching arm were contacted at approximately 7 and 28 days after r and omization for short coaching telephone calls aim ed at promoting continued usage of the website . Website usage was tracked automatically . Weight was assessed by online self-report . Results Of the 511 participants allocated to the two intervention groups , the median number of POWeR sessions completed was just one ( IQR 0 - 2 for POWeR only , IQR 0 - 3 for POWeR plus coach ) . Nonetheless , a substantial minority completed at least the core three sessions of POWeR : 47 participants ( 17.8 % , 47/264 ) in the POWeR-only arm and 64 participants ( 25.9 % , 64/247 ) in the POWeR plus coaching arm . Participants in the POWeR plus coaching group persisted with the intervention for longer and were 1.61 times more likely to complete the core three sessions than the POWeR-only group ( χ2 1=4.93 ; OR 1.61 , 95 % CI 1.06 - 2.47 ; n=511 ) . An intention-to-treat analysis showed between-group differences in weight loss ( F 2,782=12.421 , P<.001 ) . Both intervention groups reported more weight loss than the waiting list control group . Weight loss was slightly , but not significantly , greater in the POWeR plus coaching group . A large proportion of participants assigned to POWeR plus coaching refused phone calls or were not contactable ( 57.9 % , 143/247 ) . Exploratory analyses identified health and sociodemographic differences between those who did and did not engage in coaching when it was made available to them . Users who engaged with coaching used the intervention more and lost more weight than those who did not . Conclusions In common with most Web-based intervention studies , usage of POWeR was suboptimal overall . However , our findings suggest that supplementing Web-based weight management with brief human support could improve usage and outcomes in those who take it up . Trial Registration International St and ard R and omized Controlled Trial Number ( IS RCT N ) : 98176068 ; http://www.controlled-trials.com/IS RCT N98176068 ( Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6OKRjM2oy ) Background Recruitment of women in the periconceptional period to clinical studies using traditional advertising through medical establishments is difficult and slow . Given the widespread use of the internet as a source for medical information and research , we analyze the impact of social media in the second phase of an ongoing r and omized , open-label clinical trial among pregnant women . This study aims to assess the effectiveness of  social media  as a recruitment tool through the comparison of diverse recruitment techniques in two different phases of the trial . Methods Recruitment in Phase 1 of the study consisted solely of traditional healthcare-based sources . This was compared to Phase 2 of the study where traditional recruitment was continued and exp and ed , while social media was used as a supplementary source . Yearly recruitment and recruitment rates in the two phases were compared using the Mann Whitney U test . The contributions of each recruitment source to overall recruitment were analyzed , and the impact of potential confounders on recruitment rate was evaluated using a multiple regression and Interrupted Time Series Analysis . Results In the first phase of the study , with over 56 months of recruitment using traditional sources , 35 women were enrolled in the study , result ing in a mean rate of ±0.62 recruits/month . In the 6 months implementing recruitment through social media , 45 women were recruited , for a 12-fold higher rate of ±7.5 recruits/month . Attrition rates remained constant , suggesting that social media had a positive impact on recruitment . The Interrupted Time Series Analysis detected a significant difference in recruitment after the intervention of social media ( p<0.0001 ) with an evident increase in the number of recruits observed after the use of social media . Conclusions Clinicians and scientists recruiting for clinical studies should learn how to use online social media platforms to improve recruitment rates , thus increasing recruitment efficiency and cost-effectiveness INTRODUCTION The Global Online Sexuality Survey ( GOSS ) is a worldwide epidemiologic study of sexuality and sexual disorders , based on vali date d question naires and applying age adjustment to the World St and ard Population ( WSP ) by the World Health Organization . In 2010 , the first report of GOSS came from the Middle East , describing an erectile dysfunction ( ED ) prevalence rate of 47 % . AIM This report studies the prevalence rate of ED in the United States as of 2011 - 2012 and evaluates risk factors for ED . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of ED . METHODS GOSS was r and omly deployed to English-speaking male web surfers in the United States via paid advertising on Facebook , comprising 146 questions including the abbreviated 5-item International Index of Erectile Function . RESULTS Two thous and twenty-two males participated ; with a mean age was 52.38 years ± 14.5 . Prevalence of ED was 37.7 % , adjusted to 33.7 % according to WSP , comparable across ethnic groups . The following risk factors were associated with higher risk for ED : diabetes mellitus , hypertension with and without antihypertensive treatment , coronary heart disease , obesity ( defined by body mass index ) , difficult micturition , subjectively reported depression , interpersonal distress , subjectively reported impotence , in addition to novel factors such as subjectively reported premature ejaculation ( PE ) and concerns over genital size ( not a smaller penis per se ) , low libido , and irregular coitus . Frequency of smoking and alcohol were not associated with higher prevalence of ED , although duration of smoking was . CONCLUSION Adjusted to WSP , prevalence rate of ED in the United States of America is 33.7 % in the year 2011 , in contrast to the adjusted prevalence in the Middle East ( 47 % ) . Most of the classical risk factors for ED play the same role in the United States and the World , including diabetes , hypertension , and aging . Concerns over genital size and PE are emerging risk factors for ED College-age men were recruited using Facebook ™ advertisements ( ads ) , as well as traditional recruitment methods , for a r and omized controlled trial to compare immunological responses to human papillomavirus vaccine administered in two dosing schedules . This study compares enrollees who were recruited through traditional recruitment methods versus social networking sites ( SNSs ) , including Facebook .  Potential participants were recruited using flyers posted on and off campus(es ) , and distributed at health fairs , classes , sporting , and other campus events ; e-mails to students and student organizations ; and print advertisements in student newspapers and on city buses . Facebook ads were displayed to users with specific age , geographic , and interest characteristics ; ads were monitored daily to make adjustments to improve response . A total of 220 males , aged 18 to 25 years enrolled between October 2010 and May 2011 . The majority of participants ( 51 % ) reported print advertisements as the method by which they first heard about the study , followed by personal contact ( 29 % ) and Facebook or other SNSs ( 20 % ) . The likelihood of a SNS being the source by which the participant first heard about the study compared with traditional methods was increased if the participant reported ( a ) being homosexual or bisexual or ( b ) posting daily up date s on SNSs . Facebook and other SNSs are a viable recruitment strategy for reaching potential clinical trial participants among groups who typically use social media to stay connected with their friends and hard-to-reach groups such as young men who self-identify as homosexual or bisexual INTRODUCTION The prevalence of  male homosexuality  is difficult to elicit considering the sensitivity of one 's sexual orientation . The Global Online Sexuality Survey ( GOSS ) is an online epidemiologic study of male and female sexuality . The online nature of GOSS allows more confidentiality and wider geographic reach , particularly important in investigating sexual issues within the more conservative societies . AIM This study aims to determine the prevalence of  male homosexuality among Internet users in the Arabic-speaking Middle East and the unique characteristics of this subset of the population . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of male homosexuality . METHODS In the year 2010 , GOSS was offered to Arabic-speaking web surfers above 18 years of age in the Middle East . Potential participants were invited via  advertising on Facebook ® . Invitations were dispatched r and omly with the exception of geographic region and age , regardless web surfing preferences . GOSS relied in part on vali date d question naires such as the International Index of Erectile Function , as well on other nonvali date d questions . RESULTS 17.1 % reported desire toward the same sex , of whom 5.6 % had homosexual encounters , mostly in the form of external stimulation rather than intercourse , and exclusively undercover . An overwhelming majority was ego-dystonic ( 78.2 % ) . CONCLUSION This is -- to our knowledge -- the first online survey to address the prevalence of homosexual orientation and practice in the Middle East , discriminating desire from practice , ego-syntonic from ego-dystonic , and investigating the pattern of practice . Homosexual desire is present in the Middle East as it is around the world , and homosexual encounters are as prevalent . Yet , the undercover and ego-dystonic states prevail
Recruiting participants is a challenge for many health , medical and psychosocial research projects .
One tool more frequently being used to improve recruitment is the social networking website Facebook .