Salem Marie, Pollack Lance, Zepeda Alex, Tebb Kathleen P
Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
Division of Prevention Science, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States.
World J Methodol. 2023 Sep 20;13(4):210-222. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v13.i4.210.
Online surveys can align with youth's increased use of the internet and can be a mechanism for expanding youth participation in research. This is particularly important during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, when in-person interactions are limited. However, the advantages and drawbacks of online systems used for research need to be carefully considered before utilizing such methodologies.
To describe and discuss the strengths and limitations of an online system developed to recruit adolescent girls for a sexual health research study and conduct a three-month follow up survey.
This methodology paper examines the use of an online system to recruit and follow participants three months after their medical visit to evaluate a mobile sexual and reproductive health application, , for adolescent girls attending school-based health centers (SBHCs) across the United States. SBHC staff gave adolescent girls a web link to an online eligibility and consent survey. Participants were then asked to complete two online surveys (baseline and 3-month follow-up). Surveys, reminders, and incentives to complete them were distributed through short message service (SMS) text messages. Upon completing each survey, participants were also sent an email with a link to an electronic gift card as a thank-you for their participation. Barriers to implementing this system were discussed with clinicians and staff at each participating SBHC.
This online recruitment and retention system enabled participant recruitment at 26 different SBHCs in seven states across the United States. Between September 2021 and June 2022, 415 adolescent girls were screened using the Qualtrics online survey platform, and 182 were eligible to participate. Of those eligible, 78.0% ( = 142) completed the baseline survey. Participants were racially, geographically, and linguistically diverse. Most of the participants (89.4%) were non-White, and 40.8% spoke Spanish. A total of 62.0% ( = 88) completed the 3-month follow-up survey. Limitations of this system included reliance on internet access ( Wi-Fi or cell service), which was not universally available or reliable. In addition, an individual unrelated to the study obtained the survey link, filled out multiple surveys, and received multiple gift cards before the research team discovered and stopped this activity. As a result, additional security protocols were instituted.
Online systems for health research can increase the reach and diversity of study participants, reduce costs for research personnel time and travel, allow for continued study operation when in-person visits are limited (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic), and connect youth with research using technology. However, there are challenges and limitations to online systems, which include limited internet access, intermittent internet connection, data security concerns, and the potential for fraudulent users. These challenges should be considered prior to using online systems for research.
在线调查能够契合青少年对互联网使用的增加趋势，并且可以作为扩大青少年参与研究的一种机制。在2019冠状病毒病（COVID - 19）大流行期间，当面互动受到限制时，这一点尤为重要。然而，在使用此类方法之前，需要仔细考虑用于研究的在线系统的优缺点。
描述并讨论为一项性健康研究招募青春期女孩并进行为期三个月的随访调查而开发的在线系统的优势和局限性。
本方法学论文考察了使用一个在线系统招募参与者，并在其就诊三个月后进行随访，以评估一款针对美国各地在校健康中心（SBHC）的青春期女孩的移动性与生殖健康应用程序。SBHC的工作人员向青春期女孩提供了一个在线资格和同意调查的网页链接。然后要求参与者完成两项在线调查（基线调查和三个月随访调查）。调查、提醒以及完成调查的激励措施通过短信服务（SMS）短信进行分发。在完成每项调查后，还会向参与者发送一封带有电子礼品卡链接的电子邮件，以感谢她们的参与。与每个参与的SBHC的临床医生和工作人员讨论了实施该系统的障碍。
这个在线招募和留存系统使得在美国七个州的26个不同的SBHC招募到了参与者。在2021年9月至2022年6月期间，使用Qualtrics在线调查平台对415名青春期女孩进行了筛选，其中182名符合参与条件。在这些符合条件的人中，78.0%（n = 142）完成了基线调查。参与者在种族、地域和语言方面具有多样性。大多数参与者（89.4%）为非白人，40.8%讲西班牙语。共有62.0%（n = 88）完成了三个月的随访调查。该系统的局限性包括依赖互联网接入（Wi-Fi或移动信号服务），而这并非普遍可用或可靠。此外，在研究团队发现并制止这一行为之前，一名与研究无关的人员获取了调查链接，填写了多份调查问卷并获得了多张礼品卡。因此，制定了额外的安全协议。
用于健康研究的在线系统可以扩大研究参与者的范围和多样性，降低研究人员的时间和差旅费，在当面访问受限（如在COVID - 19大流行期间）时允许研究继续进行，并利用技术将青少年与研究联系起来。然而，在线系统存在挑战和局限性，包括互联网接入受限、间歇性互联网连接、数据安全问题以及存在欺诈用户的可能性。在使用在线系统进行研究之前，应考虑这些挑战。
