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Published on: February 2, 2017
Cost effectiveness of recruitment methods in an obesity prevention trial for young children
Jodie L Robinson1, Janene H Fuerch, Dana D Winiewicz
1Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Farber Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214-3000, USA.
Insights
Direct mailing is the most cost-effective method for recruiting families with young children for obesity prevention trials. This method proved more successful than newspaper ads, posters, or brochures in a Western New York study.
Area of Science:
- Childhood Obesity Research
- Clinical Trial Recruitment Strategies
- Public Health Interventions
Background:
- Clinical trial recruitment demands significant resources.
- Limited research exists on the cost-effectiveness of recruitment methods for pediatric obesity prevention trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the cost-effectiveness of various recruitment methods for a childhood obesity prevention trial.
- To identify the most economical approach for engaging families with young children in health research.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 70 families with children aged 4-7 years for a 2-year obesity prevention trial.
- Tracked recruitment sources including direct mail, newspaper ads, word-of-mouth, and posters/brochures.
- Calculated cost-effectiveness based on materials, staff time, and media expenses.
Main Results:
- Direct mailing yielded 65.7% of participants at $227.76 per person.
- Newspaper ads acquired 24.3% at $546.95 per person.
- Other sources (word-of-mouth) were free, while posters/brochures cost $3,020.84 per person.
Conclusions:
- Direct mailing is the most cost-effective recruitment strategy for families with young children in obesity prevention studies.
- Findings support the efficacy of direct mail in pediatric clinical trial recruitment.
- This research provides valuable data for optimizing recruitment budgets in public health initiatives.
Background:
Recruitment of participants for clinical trials requires considerable effort and cost. There is no research on the cost effectiveness of recruitment methods for an obesity prevention trial of young children.
Methods:
This study determined the cost effectiveness of recruiting 70 families with a child aged 4 to 7 (5.9+/-1.3) years in Western New York from February 2003 to November 2004, for a 2-year randomized obesity prevention trial to reduce television watching in the home.
Results:
Of the 70 randomized families, 65.7% (n=46) were obtained through direct mailings, 24.3% (n=17) were acquired through newspaper advertisements, 7.1% (n=5) from other sources (e.g., word of mouth), and 2.9% (n=2) through posters and brochures. Costs of each recruitment method were computed by adding the cost of materials, staff time, and media expenses. Cost effectiveness (money spent per randomized participant) was US $0 for other sources, US $227.76 for direct mailing, US $546.95 for newspaper ads, and US $3,020.84 for posters and brochures.
Conclusion:
Of the methods with associated costs, direct mailing was the most cost effective in recruiting families with young children, which supports the growing literature of the effectiveness of direct mailing.
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