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Internet-based recruitment to a depression prevention intervention: lessons from the Mood Memos study
Amy Joanna Morgan1, Anthony Francis Jorm, Andrew James Mackinnon
1Centre for Youth Mental Health, Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia. ajmorgan@unimelb.edu.au
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|February 14, 2013
Summary
Internet recruitment effectively reached participants for an online depression intervention trial. Key strategies included Google advertising and promotion via trusted mental health organizations, proving feasible and cost-effective.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Research
- Digital Health Interventions
- Clinical Trial Recruitment
Background:
- Recruiting for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in health interventions presents significant challenges.
- Internet-based recruitment is a growing method, yet detailed accounts for mental health interventions are scarce.
- This study focuses on the experience of recruiting for an online depression prevention intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the experience of using Internet-based recruitment for an online depression prevention intervention.
- To share lessons learned from the recruitment process for future mental health RCTs.
- To assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of online recruitment strategies.
Main Methods:
- Participants were recruited solely through online channels for the Mood Memos study, an online preventive depression intervention.
- The target population included adults with subthreshold depression symptoms across English-speaking countries.
- Recruitment methods trialed included search engine advertising (Google, Yahoo!, Bing), Facebook ads, online forums, and partnerships with mental health organizations.
Main Results:
- The study website attracted 94,808 visitors over 14 months, with 1699 signing up and 1326 fully enrolling.
- Google advertising, promoting a depression-screening questionnaire, was the most effective source, accounting for nearly half of participants at AUD $12 per enrollee.
- Promotion through trusted organizations and websites proved effective, while forums and noticeboards were less successful.
Conclusions:
- Internet-based recruitment strategies, particularly Google advertising, successfully recruited participants for an online depression intervention trial.
- The findings indicate that online recruitment for mental health interventions is both feasible and relatively affordable.
- This approach offers a viable solution for overcoming recruitment challenges in digital mental health research.
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