Using Facebook to Improve Participation Among 25-Year-Olds Enrolled in a Longitudinal Preterm Birth Cohort Study

Facebook is a popular social media platform used globally to keep connected and informed. The aims of this study were to determine the contribution of Facebook to the participation rate of young adults enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study, and to examine systematic differences in participants recruited through Facebook compared with those recruited through traditional methods.

Potential participants comprised 297 consecutive survivors born extremely preterm (<28 weeks' gestation) or extremely low birth weight (<1000 g birth weight) in 1991-92 in the state of Victoria, Australia, and 260 contemporaneously recruited normal birth weight (>2499 g birth weight) controls who had participated previously in a prospective cohort study. At 25 years of age participants were approached initially via traditional methods (mail, telephone, texts), and subsequently by Facebook for those difficult to contact or locate.

Contact was attempted with 523 young adults via traditional methods and 49% (n = 255) agreed to participate. Of the 208 participants unable to be located or contacted via traditional methods, 153 were subsequently located via Facebook. Of these 82% (n = 125) responded promptly within a day of receiving the Facebook invite, and 41% (n = 63) ultimately participated. The participation rate increased from 49% (255 of 523) to 61% (318 of 523) with the addition of Facebook, an absolute increase of 12%. Participants recruited by Facebook were slightly older, had lower rates of school completion and lower cognitive score at 18 years of age compared with those recruited via traditional methods.

Using Facebook improved participation of young adults enrolled in this longitudinal preterm follow up study, 25 years after original recruitment.