Optimizing participation in digital health studies: understanding appointment attendance

Area of Science:

• Digital health research
• Epidemiology
• HIV prevention

Background:

• The American Women Assessing Risk Epidemiologically (AWARE) study is a 24-month longitudinal digital cohort examining HIV seroconversion risk in cisgender women.
• Understanding factors influencing attendance in digital health research is crucial for participant retention and study efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between attendance at online digital health research appointments and participant age, scheduling factors, appointment confirmation, and HIV behavioral risk factors.
• To identify barriers to digital health research participation among cisgender women.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of scheduling and eligibility screening data from the AWARE study.
• Merging participant demographic, behavioral, and scheduling data (Outlook calendar).
• Utilizing chi-square tests and logistic regression to assess attendance associations.

Main Results:

• Women aged 50 years and older had higher no-show rates compared to younger women (44.7% vs 32.3%).
• Specific appointment times (8:00 am, 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm) and lower attendance on Fridays were observed.
• Appointment confirmation 24 hours in advance significantly reduced no-shows (19.0% vs 51.6%).
• Higher no-show rates were associated with histories of physical harm, forced sexual activity, and incarceration.

Conclusions:

• Participant age, scheduling logistics, and structural vulnerabilities significantly impact attendance in digital health research.
• Integrating digital access support and optimizing study design can mitigate disparities and enhance research efficiency and retention.