Recruitment Challenges in Mother-Infant Research: Factors Associated With Low Enrollment and Inclusion in the...

Area of Science:

• Human milk composition
• Infant microbiome development
• Maternal diet impact

Background:

• Optimal early-life environments are critical for child health.
• Human milk and the infant microbiome are central to infant health.
• The Synbio-Breast study examined maternal diet's role in human milk synbiotic composition among atopic women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify factors linked to low enrollment and inclusion rates in mother-infant studies.
• To analyze strategies for enhancing recruitment in future mother-infant research.
• To identify barriers to participation in human milk microbiome studies.

Main Methods:

• Linear regression models assessed enrollment and inclusion rates.
• Logistic regression analyzed associations between recruitment strategies and enrollment.
• Factors examined included PhD student involvement, recruitment methods, lactation meetings, and fair attendance.

Main Results:

• Low enrollment and inclusion rates were observed despite recruitment efforts.
• Recruitment via email by a PhD student without healthcare professional contact was linked to lower enrollment.
• Exclusion reasons included partial breastfeeding (30.0%), antibiotic use (22.1%), and loss of interest (19.3%).

Conclusions:

• Strict inclusion/exclusion criteria significantly lowered enrollment and inclusion rates.
• Successful mother-infant study recruitment necessitates personalized engagement and trust.
• Studies without direct participant health benefits require tailored, relationship-based recruitment strategies.