A Comparative Analysis of Recruitment Methods to Reach Emerging Adults Outside the Clinical Setting

Area of Science:

• Health Research Methodology
• Population Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• Emerging adults are challenging to recruit for health studies due to infrequent healthcare access.
• Recruitment outside clinical settings is essential for this demographic.
• Social media and research volunteer registries offer potential but lack comparative data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare participant enrollment and completion rates between social media and ResearchMatch.
• To analyze demographic differences of participants recruited via each method.
• To evaluate recruitment costs associated with social media versus ResearchMatch.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment via ResearchMatch and social media (Instagram, Snapchat) from October to November 2022.
• Analysis of enrollment, survey completion, demographics, and costs.
• Statistical comparison using chi-square and independent t-tests.

Main Results:

• Enrollment rates differed: 58% for ResearchMatch, 39% for social media; completion rates were similar (~93%).
• Social media recruited younger participants (18-21) and more White participants.
• ResearchMatch recruited participants with higher education levels and incurred no cost per survey, versus $13 for social media.

Conclusions:

• Both social media and ResearchMatch effectively recruit emerging adults but serve different demographic segments.
• ResearchMatch is a cost-effective option for reaching older, more educated emerging adults.
• Social media is effective for recruiting younger emerging adults, though potential sampling biases require consideration.