Carter Chelsey R, Maki Julia, Ackermann Nicole, Waters Erika A
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT.
Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, St. Louis, MO, USA.
MDM Policy Pract. 2023 Jun 27;8(1):23814683231183646. doi: 10.1177/23814683231183646. eCollection 2023 Jan-Jun.
Sociodemographically diverse study samples are critical for research related to health decision making. However, not all researchers have the training, capacity, and funding to engage research methods that recruit the most diverse populations. We used participant-generated data, staff salary data, and participant observation to examine the effectiveness and cost of strategies that we used for screening, enrolling, and retaining a sociodemographically diverse sample for a risk communication and behavior change randomized controlled trial. It took approximately 646 hours to contact 1,626 individuals and enroll 554 participants (505 of whom completed the baseline survey; 45.2% were members of a underrepresented racial/ethnic group, 19.4% had no college education, 49.5% were age 30-49 y). Retention at 90-d follow-up was 93%. The total cost was USD$19,898.50. The average cost was $35.92 per participant enrolled. In-person recruitment was most successful in identifying the largest proportion of screened and eligible participants who were members of underrepresented racial/ethnic populations (32.8% and 27.8%, respectively) and with no college experience (39.7% and 33.5%, respectively); it also had the highest total cost ($8,079.17). Existing research pools identified the largest proportion of younger participants (ages 30-49 y; 39.3% and 43.4% for screened and eligible, respectively). Existing listservs yielded the smallest proportion of individuals with no college experience and the fewest members of underrepresented racial/ethnic populations but had the lowest total cost ($290.33). Newspaper ads identified the fewest younger individuals and also had the highest cost per participant enrolled ($166.21). Word of mouth had the lowest cost per participant enrolled ($10.47). Results help medical decision-making researchers formulate recruitment plans that increase sociodemographic diversity in study samples. We also ask funders to accommodate increased costs required to maximize sociodemographic diversity in medical decision-making research.
We provide concrete strategies for recruiting, enrolling, and retaining a sociodemographically diverse study sample.We offer cost estimates for all stages of study recruitment and found that in-person recruitment was the most effective, but also the most expensive, way to identify Black participants and participants with no college experience.It is critical for investigators to have access to institutional infrastructure and resources to support conducting research that is inclusive of diverse sociodemographic groups.An intentionally diverse recruitment staff supports a diverse study sample.
社会人口统计学上多样化的研究样本对于与健康决策相关的研究至关重要。然而，并非所有研究人员都具备采用招募最多样化人群的研究方法所需的培训、能力和资金。我们使用参与者生成的数据、工作人员薪资数据和参与观察，来检验我们用于筛选、招募和留住社会人口统计学上多样化样本以进行风险沟通和行为改变随机对照试验的策略的有效性和成本。联系1626人并招募554名参与者（其中505人完成了基线调查；45.2%是代表性不足的种族/族裔群体成员，19.4%没有大学学历，49.5%年龄在30 - 49岁之间）大约花费了646小时。90天随访时的留存率为93%。总成本为19,898.50美元。平均成本为每位招募的参与者35.92美元。亲自招募在识别代表性不足的种族/族裔群体成员（分别为32.8%和27.8%）以及没有大学经历的筛选和符合条件的参与者中所占比例最大（分别为39.7%和33.5%）方面最为成功；其总成本也最高（8,079.17美元）。现有的研究库识别出的年轻参与者比例最大（年龄在30 - 49岁之间；筛选和符合条件的分别为39.3%和43.4%）。现有的邮件列表产生的没有大学经历的个体比例最小，代表性不足的种族/族裔群体成员最少，但总成本最低（290.33美元）。报纸广告识别出的年轻个体最少，且每位招募参与者的成本最高（166.21美元）。口碑传播每位招募参与者的成本最低（10.47美元）。研究结果有助于医疗决策研究人员制定招募计划，以增加研究样本中的社会人口统计学多样性。我们还呼吁资助者承担医疗决策研究中为使社会人口统计学多样性最大化所需增加的成本。
我们提供了招募、登记和留住社会人口统计学上多样化研究样本的具体策略。我们给出了研究招募各阶段的成本估算，发现亲自招募是识别黑人参与者和没有大学经历的参与者最有效的方法，但也是最昂贵的方法。对于研究人员来说，能够利用机构基础设施和资源来支持开展涵盖不同社会人口统计学群体的研究至关重要。一支有意多样化的招募工作人员队伍有助于获得多样化的研究样本。
