Leach Liana S, Butterworth Peter, Poyser Carmel, Batterham Philip J, Farrer Louise M
National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
J Med Internet Res. 2017 Mar 8;19(3):e61. doi: 10.2196/jmir.5745.
Online recruitment is feasible, low-cost, and can provide high-quality epidemiological data. However, little is known about the feasibility of recruiting postpartum women online, or sample representativeness.
The current study investigates the feasibility of recruiting a population of postpartum women online for health research and examines sample representativeness.
Two samples of postpartum women were compared: those recruited online as participants in a brief survey of new mothers (n=1083) and those recruited face-to-face as part of a nationally representative study (n=579). Sociodemographic, general health, and mental health characteristics were compared between the two samples.
Obtaining a sample of postpartum women online for health research was highly efficient and low-cost. The online sample over-represented those who were younger (aged 25-29 years), were in a de facto relationship, had higher levels of education, spoke only English at home, and were first-time mothers. Members of the online sample were significantly more likely to have poor self-rated health and poor mental health than the nationally representative sample. Health differences remained after adjusting for sociodemographic differences.
Potential exists for feasible and low-cost e-epidemiological research with postpartum populations; however, researchers should consider the potential influence of sample nonrepresentativeness.
在线招募可行、成本低，且能提供高质量的流行病学数据。然而，对于在线招募产后女性的可行性或样本代表性知之甚少。
本研究调查在线招募产后女性群体用于健康研究的可行性，并检验样本代表性。
比较了两组产后女性样本：一组是通过在线方式招募参与新妈妈简短调查的女性（n = 1083），另一组是作为全国代表性研究的一部分通过面对面方式招募的女性（n = 579）。比较了两组样本的社会人口统计学、总体健康和心理健康特征。
在线获取产后女性样本用于健康研究效率高且成本低。在线样本中年龄在25 - 29岁、处于事实婚姻关系、受教育程度较高、在家只说英语且为初产妇的人群占比过高。与全国代表性样本相比，在线样本中的成员自评健康状况和心理健康状况较差的可能性显著更高。在调整社会人口统计学差异后，健康差异仍然存在。
对产后人群进行可行且低成本的电子流行病学研究具有潜力；然而，研究人员应考虑样本缺乏代表性的潜在影响。
