Recruitment strategies and challenges: Lessons learned from a coal ash and children's health study
Chisom Odoh1, Clara G Sears2, Lindsay K Tompkins3
1Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.
Insights
Recruiting children for studies on coal fly ash neurobehavioral effects requires flexible strategies. This study used multiple methods, including door-to-door outreach and media announcements, to enroll participants near power plants.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Children living near coal-burning power plants may be exposed to coal fly ash.
- Coal fly ash exposure is a potential risk factor for neurobehavioral deficits in children.
- Understanding recruitment challenges is crucial for environmental health studies involving pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe recruitment strategies for a study on coal fly ash's impact on child neurobehavioral performance.
- To highlight challenges and solutions in recruiting participants for environmental exposure studies.
- To achieve a target sample size of 300 children and a parent/guardian.
Main Methods:
- Employed a multi-pronged recruitment approach including door-to-door canvassing, public flyers, targeted mailings, media announcements, and local government outreach.
- Utilized geographical information systems (GIS) to guide recruitment and ensure even participant distribution across the study area.
- Documented recruitment challenges and implemented adaptive solutions to overcome them.
Main Results:
- As of September 2015, 265 participants (children and one parent/guardian each) were enrolled.
- A combination of recruitment strategies proved effective in reaching the target population.
- Recruitment is an ongoing, dynamic process requiring continuous strategy evaluation.
Conclusions:
- Diverse recruitment strategies are essential for enrolling participants in environmental health studies.
- Flexibility and adaptability in research methods are vital for successful participant recruitment.
- Effective recruitment is key to obtaining adequate sample sizes for studying the neurobehavioral effects of environmental exposures like coal fly ash.
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to describe the approaches and recruitment strategies of a study focused on the impact of coal fly ash on neurobehavioral performance among children living in proximity to coal-burning power plants. Challenges encountered with each recruitment approach are highlighted as well as solutions used to overcome those challenges and ultimately enroll children and one of their parents or guardians. To ensure participants were distributed throughout the study area, geographical information systems were used to guide recruitment and achieve the target sample size (N = 300). Several approaches were employed to recruit the number of needed participants, including "shoe leather" or door-to-door recruitment, placement of flyers and brochures in public spaces, mailings to targeted addresses, media announcements, and local government outreach. Since September 2015, 265 participants have been enrolled in the study using a combination of the described recruitment approaches. Even with a well-designed plan, it is important to re-examine strategies at every step to maximize recruitment efforts. Researcher flexibility in adapting to new strategies is vital in facilitating recruitment efforts, and the recruitment of participants in the study remains a dynamic and evolving process.
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