Recruitment via social media: advantages and potential biases

Abstract

Background: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors are under-represented in research. Social media is increasingly used for recruitment given its ability to reach large audiences. Differences in participant characteristics and potential biases due to recruitment source are not well understood. Purpose: This study aimed to: (a) compare recruitment strategies (hospital-based v. social media) in enrollment metrics, and (b) among enrolled participants, evaluate group differences in patient characteristics and patient reported outcomes (PROs). Methods: Preliminary data from a cancer and fertility study with female AYAs were evaluated. Hospital-based recruitment used electronic medical records (EMR) to identify eligible patients. Social media recruitment involved posting on partner organizations' social media outlets. PROs included validated measures related to the parent study. Descriptive statistics evaluated recruitment metrics. Independent samples t-tests and chi-square identified differences in participant characteristics and PROs based on recruitment. Results: Social media yielded a higher enrollment rate (37%; n ¼ 54/146) compared with hospital-based recruitment (7%; n ¼ 21/289) and required fewer study resources. Compared with hospital-based recruitment, participants from social media were more likely to be White (p ¼ 0.01), with a longer time since treatment (p ¼ 0.03); and reported higher levels of reproductive concern (p ¼ 0.004) and negative mood (p ¼ 0.02), and more negative illness perceptions (ps < 0.05). Conclusion: Recruitment via social media may be a more effective and efficient strategy compared with hospital-based methods. However, group differences were identified that could bias findings and limit generalizability. Advantages of social media should be considered with an understanding of how methodology may impact enrollment and results.

Facebook Recruitment for Children with Advanced Cancer and Their Parents: Lessons from a Web-based Pediatric Palliative Intervention Study

“…3,34,35 The Facebook system can reveal users' private information that has not been disclosed to other users by displaying comments and tags on the advertisements or by leaving an unconscious online trail. 35,36 To promote an ethical recruitment process and prevent any unintentional harm to potential participants, researchers should be fully informed of the latest Facebook policies, design the best suited recruitment modality, and discuss wordings in the advertisements with the pertinent IRBs at the early stages of their research. 35 In addition, researchers should clearly understand how social media data is presented, carefully review social media research policies and guidelines such as Internet Research Ethics 3.0 37 and hold frequent discussions with the IRB to provide maximum privacy protection for their participants.…”

Microsurgery Fellowship Website and Social Media Presence: Are Programs Optimizing Recruitment Strategy?

“…[15][16][17] In addition, recent studies have highlighted the impact of social media on the potential recruitment of applicants. [18][19][20] Therefore, we sought to evaluate the accessibility and quality of available information to potential applicants by analyzing the most commonly used web resources and social media outlets for applicants applying to microsurgery fellowship. Overall, we found that both the accessibility and quality of information available to the applicant are limited.…”

Correlation between social media addiction and social media bullying: A cross sectional analytic study in Indonesian Youth

“…Social media easily connects people for personal communications as well as business-related reasons. Proper use of the platform could increase productivity and e ciency in a society (17). Meanwhile, social media disadvantages exist in the shape of behavioural addiction tendencies existing in some of the users (18).…”