Recruitment via social media: advantages and potential biases

Catherine Benedict · Alexandria L. Hahn · Michael A. Diefenbach · Jennifer S. Ford

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Social Media in Health Education Ethics in Clinical Research Health Literacy and Information Accessibility

Abstract

Background Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors are under-represented in research. Social media is increasingly used for recruitment given its ability to reach large audiences. Differences in participant characteristics and potential biases due to recruitment source are not well understood. Purpose This study aimed to: (a) compare recruitment strategies (hospital-based v. social media) in enrollment metrics, and (b) among enrolled participants, evaluate group differences in patient characteristics and patient reported outcomes (PROs). Methods Preliminary data from a cancer and fertility study with female AYAs were evaluated. Hospital-based recruitment used electronic medical records (EMR) to identify eligible patients. Social media recruitment involved posting on partner organizations’ social media outlets. PROs included validated measures related to the parent study. Descriptive statistics evaluated recruitment metrics. Independent samples t-tests and chi-square identified differences in participant characteristics and PROs based on recruitment. Results Social media yielded a higher enrollment rate (37%; n = 54/146) compared with hospital-based recruitment (7%; n = 21/289) and required fewer study resources. Compared with hospital-based recruitment, participants from social media were more likely to be White ( p = 0.01), with a longer time since treatment ( p = 0.03); and reported higher levels of reproductive concern ( p = 0.004) and negative mood ( p = 0.02), and more negative illness perceptions ( ps < 0.05). Conclusion Recruitment via social media may be a more effective and efficient strategy compared with hospital-based methods. However, group differences were identified that could bias findings and limit generalizability. Advantages of social media should be considered with an understanding of how methodology may impact enrollment and results.

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2007The Impact of Event Scale: Revised 1983A Shortened Version of the Profile of Mood States 2017The Use of Facebook in Recruiting Participants for Health Research Purposes: A Systematic Review 2014The development of a financial toxicity patient‐reported outcome in cancer: The COST measure 2016The Use of Social Media in Recruitment for Medical Research Studies: A Scoping Review 2018Using social media for health research: Methodological and ethical considerations for recruitment and intervention delivery 2015Social Media and Internet Driven Study Recruitment: Evaluating a New Model for Promoting Collaborator Engagement and Participation

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