Abstract
Young adults have been dramatically underrepresented in cancer survivorship research. One contributing factor is the difficulty
recruiting this population. To identify effective recruitment strategies, the current study assessed the yield of strategies
used to recruit young survivors for an exercise intervention including: clinic-based recruitment, recruitment at cancer-related
events, mailings, telephone-based recruitment, advertising on the internet, radio, television and social networking media,
distributing brochures and word-of-mouth referrals. When taking into account the strategies for which we could track the number
of survivors approached, recruitment at an oncology clinic was the most productive: 38 % of those approached were screened
and 8 % enrolled. When evaluating which strategy yielded the greatest percentage of the sample, however, mailings were the
most productive. Given widespread use of the internet and social networking by young adults, investigators should also consider
these low-cost recruitment strategies.
recruiting this population. To identify effective recruitment strategies, the current study assessed the yield of strategies
used to recruit young survivors for an exercise intervention including: clinic-based recruitment, recruitment at cancer-related
events, mailings, telephone-based recruitment, advertising on the internet, radio, television and social networking media,
distributing brochures and word-of-mouth referrals. When taking into account the strategies for which we could track the number
of survivors approached, recruitment at an oncology clinic was the most productive: 38 % of those approached were screened
and 8 % enrolled. When evaluating which strategy yielded the greatest percentage of the sample, however, mailings were the
most productive. Given widespread use of the internet and social networking by young adults, investigators should also consider
these low-cost recruitment strategies.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-4
- DOI 10.1007/s10880-012-9317-0
- Authors
- Carolyn Rabin, Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 1 Hoppin Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA
- Santina Horowitz, Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 1 Hoppin Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA
- Bess Marcus, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628, USA
- Journal Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings
- Online ISSN 1573-3572
- Print ISSN 1068-9583