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Using Facebook for Health-related Research Study Recruitment and Program Delivery
Eric R Pedersen1, Jeremy Kurz1
1RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
Current Opinion in Psychology
|January 5, 2016
Summary
Facebook effectively recruits diverse participants for health studies and delivers programs, proving cost-effective. Further research is needed on data validity, sample representativeness, and human subject protection.
Area of Science:
- Social Media in Health Research
- Digital Health Interventions
- Participant Recruitment Strategies
Background:
- Facebook is a widely used platform with significant potential for health research and program delivery.
- It can reach populations traditionally difficult to recruit and offer services to underserved individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the utility of Facebook for recruiting research participants and delivering health programs.
- To identify the benefits and challenges of using Facebook in health research.
Main Methods:
- Review of health studies and programs utilizing Facebook for recruitment and delivery.
- Analysis of reported successes, including cost-effectiveness and participant follow-up.
Main Results:
- Studies using Facebook generally report success in recruitment, cost-effectiveness, and participant tracking.
- Facebook facilitates reaching difficult-to-recruit populations and expanding service outreach.
Conclusions:
- Facebook is a valuable tool for health research recruitment and program delivery.
- Further research is essential to address data validity, sample representativeness, and human subject protections.
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