Recruitment of participants and participant’s appreciation of a virtual supermarket testing pricing and nudging strategies: A feasibility study (Preprint)

Recruitment of Participants for a 3D Virtual Supermarket: Cross-sectional Observational Study

JMIR Formative Research ◽

10.2196/19234 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. e19234

Author(s):

Jody C Hoenink ◽

Joreintje D Mackenbach ◽

Laura Nynke van der Laan ◽

Jeroen Lakerveld ◽

Wilma Waterlander ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Word Of Mouth ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Recruitment Strategies ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Media Campaigns ◽

Time Investment ◽

Study Team

Background Virtual supermarkets offer a practical and affordable setting to test the efficacy of different pricing and nudging strategies before they are implemented in the real world. Despite the advantages of using virtual supermarkets for this purpose, conducting studies in online settings is challenging with regard to recruitment and retention of sufficient and suitable participants. Objective To describe cost, time, and retention with regard to participants recruited using various strategies and potential sociodemographic differences between participants recruited via different strategies. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from a randomized controlled trial in which 455 Dutch adults with low and high educational levels were invited to shop 5 times in a 3D virtual supermarket. Participants were recruited via social media and flyers. A log that tracked the costs of and time spent on the different recruitment strategies was kept by the study team. Outcome measures included the cost of recruitment strategies, the time investment by researchers, and recruitment and attrition rates of participants in the study. Results The median age of study completers was 31.0 (IQR 25.0) and 157 out of 346 study completers (45.4%) were highly educated. Out of the 455 included participants, 235 (51.6%) were recruited via social media campaigns, 131 (28.8%) via home-delivered flyers, 38 (8.4%) via flyers directly distributed by the study team, and 46 (10.1%) via word-of-mouth. Of all paid recruitment strategies, social media campaigns were the cheapest and least time-consuming, whereas the distribution of flyers by the study team was the most expensive and time-consuming recruitment strategy. Age, sex, overweight status, employment situation, and number of adults within the household varied by recruitment strategy. Conclusions Using different recruitment strategies resulted in the efficient recruitment of a representative study sample and retention of participants was relatively high. While “word-of-mouth” was the most cost- and time-effective recruitment strategy, using only one type of recruitment strategy could result in a demographically skewed study population.

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Strategies for improving recruitment of pregnant women to clinical research: An evaluation of social media versus traditional offline methods in Vancouver, Canada (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.29377 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kelsey M Cochrane ◽

Jennifer A Hutcheon ◽

Crystal D Karakochuk

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Conversion Rate ◽

Performance Metrics ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Media Campaigns ◽

Total N ◽

Cost Rate ◽

Time Of Year

BACKGROUND Social media is an effective alternative to offline methods for participant recruitment to research. However, the effectiveness of social media compared with offline strategies among pregnant women is unclear. Further, it is unclear whether recruitment strategy alters demographic characteristics of participants. OBJECTIVE We aimed to estimate recruitment rates from social media and offline methods and to explore the whether participant demographics differed according to recruitment strategy in a clinical nutrition trial that recruited 60 healthy pregnant women in Vancouver, Canada. METHODS Facebook was used to run 9 social media campaigns, 10-18 days each (15-weeks total) and costing $50-$100 CAD ($675 CAD total). Offline methods were used concurrently over 64-weeks. A total of $300 CAD was spent on printing. Demographic characteristics of those recruited via each method was compared using bivariate statistics. Cost, rate of recruitment and conversion rate in each group was calculated. Performance metrics of social media campaigns, including reach, impressions, clicks, inquiries, and enrollments, were recorded. Linear regression was used to explore the association between metrics and dollars spent per campaign. RESULTS In total, n=481 inquiries were received (n=51 [11%] via offline methods; n=430 [89%] via social media). Enrollees (n=60) included n=24 (40%) and n=36 (60%) via offline and social media methods, respectively. Gestational weeks was provided by n=251 women (52%) upon inquiry (mean ± SD gestational weeks was 13.3 ± 4.7 and 13.2 ± 5.6 in the offline and social media groups, respectively, P=.96). There were no statistically significant differences in age (33 ± 3.2 and 33 ± 3.6, P=.67), ethnicity (58% and 56% Caucasian, P=.97), education (88% and 78% had University-level education, P=.64), household income (58% and 47% >$100,000 CAD/year, P=.26), pre-pregnancy BMI (22.2 ± 2.6 and 23.4 ± 2.8, P=.11), or parity (75% and 72% nulliparous, P=.81); results are presented for offline and social media, respectively. Direct cost/enrollee was $13 and $19 in those who were recruited via offline and social media methods, respectively (however, this does not include cost of labour). Rate of recruitment was ~6x faster via social media than offline methods, however, the conversion rate was higher via offline methods than social media (47% versus 8%). Overall, campaign metrics (reach, impressions, clicks, and inquiries) improved over time. Amount spent per campaign (controlling for campaign duration) was significantly associated with improved clicks (P=.01), and inquiries (P=.04), but not enrollments (P=.19). CONCLUSIONS Social media was more efficient and effective for recruitment of pregnant women than offline methods. We gained numerous insights for optimization of social media campaigns (dollars spent, attribution setting, photo testing, automatic optimization) to increase clicks and inquiries, however this does not necessarily increase enrollments, which was more dependent on study specific factors (e.g. time of year, study design, and intervention). CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04022135). Registered on July-14-2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04022135

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Physical Activity and Attitudes Toward Social Media Use of Active Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Survey

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.707921 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Mezna A. AlMarzooqi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Media ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Media Use ◽

Real Life ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physically Active ◽

Social Media Platforms

Background: Social media became an integral part of the lives of people because it encourages social relations and shares interests, activities, and real-life connections. As quarantine and lockdown orders are prolonged, many people, as well as those physically active individuals, typically responded to this stressful condition by using social media platforms.Objective: This study aimed to examine the level of physical activity of physically active individuals and their attitudes toward social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among physically active individuals in Saudi Arabia between June 2020 and July 2020. An online survey was employed among eligible participants who completed a self-administered questionnaire that covered reasons for physical activity and attitudes toward social media platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Of these 323 participants, 29.1% were in the age group of 18–24 years, 66.6% were women, and 67.8% were single. The proportion of participants whose metabolic equivalent of tasks-min/week from vigorous activity <1,680 was 31.9%, and all of the participants follow people or pages in social media related to sports teams and fitness models. The average number of hours spent on social media per day was 2.95 ± 0.90 h. The majority of the participants showed positive attitudes toward social media used for exercise and physical activity. Of the eight variables, age, level of physical activity, and the average of hours spent on social media emerged as significant predictors of attitudes toward the use of social media (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The present survey results indicate adverse consequences of home quarantine as reflected by a small proportion of participants who had differences in levels of vigorous activities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Social media appears to be a key avenue to promote and disseminate health interventions to promote physical activity during this COVID-19 pandemic.

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Recruiting men from across the socioeconomic spectrum via GP registers and community outreach to a weight management feasibility randomised controlled trial

BMC Medical Research Methodology ◽

10.1186/s12874-020-01136-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Matthew D. McDonald ◽

◽

Stephan U. Dombrowski ◽

Rebecca Skinner ◽

Eileen Calveley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Weight Management ◽

Public Involvement ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Community Outreach ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Feasibility Trial ◽

Recruitment Strategies ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Co Morbidity

Abstract Background Men, particularly those living in disadvantaged areas, are less likely to participate in weight management programmes than women despite similar levels of excess weight. Little is known about how best to recruit men to weight management interventions. This paper describes patient and public involvement in pre-trial decisions relevant to recruitment and aims to report on recruitment to the subsequent men-only weight management feasibility trial, including the: i) acceptability and feasibility of recruitment; and ii) baseline sample characteristics by recruitment strategy. Methods Men with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and/or waist circumference ≥ 40 in. were recruited to the feasibility trial via two strategies; community outreach (venue information stands and word of mouth) and GP letters, targeting disadvantaged areas. Recruitment activities (e.g. letters sent, researcher venue hours) were recorded systematically, and baseline characteristics questionnaire data collated. Qualitative interviews (n = 50) were conducted three months post-recruitment. Analyses and reporting followed a complementary mixed methods approach. Results 105 men were recruited within four months (community n = 60, GP letter n = 45). Community outreach took 2.3 recruiter hours per participant and GP letters had an opt-in rate of 10.2% (n = 90/879). More men were interested than could be accommodated. Most participants (60%) lived in more disadvantaged areas. Compared to community outreach, men recruited via GP letters were older (mean = 57 vs 48 years); more likely to report an obesity-related co-morbidity (87% vs 44%); and less educated (no formal qualifications, 32% vs 10%, degree educated 11% vs 41%). Recruitment strategies were acceptable, a sensitive approach and trusting relationships with recruiters valued, and the ‘catchy’ study name drew attention. Conclusions Targeted community outreach and GP letters were acceptable strategies that successfully recruited participants to a men-only weight management feasibility trial. Both strategies engaged men from disadvantaged areas, a typically underserved population. Using two recruitment strategies produced samples with different health risk profiles, which could add value to research where either primary or secondary prevention is of interest. Further work is required to examine how these strategies could be implemented and sustained in practice. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03040518, 2nd February 2017.

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Attracting the Right Employees?

Entrepreneurship, Collaboration, and Innovation in the Modern Business Era - Advances in Logistics, Operations, and Management Science ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5014-3.ch010 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 194-220

Author(s):

Anthony Lewis ◽

Brychan Celfyn Thomas ◽

Gwenllian Marged Sanders

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Human Resources ◽

Human Resources Management ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Recruitment Strategies ◽

Professional Perspective ◽

Stakeholder Perspective ◽

Multi Stakeholder ◽

The Right

This chapter investigates effects and issues associated with social media and recruitment and whether it is effective as an innovative e-entrepreneurship method of attracting the right employees for enterprises from a multi stakeholder perspective. Human resources management professionals have been using different methods of social media in their recruitment strategies with varying degrees of success. By examining social media and its effect, this can support the development of a more effective human resources recruitment strategy. Additionally, increased communication channels might enable the development of a more positive internal enterprise culture. The study was conducted using both primary and secondary data. Professionals, recruiters, and employees have been questioned on their views of Social Media from a personal and a professional perspective through a variety of methods including focus groups and questionnaires. This chapter provides a framework that can be used by enterprises in order to create their own social media recruitment cycle.

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Hiring the Best Job Applicants?

Research Anthology on Strategies for Using Social Media as a Service and Tool in Business ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-9020-1.ch083 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1700-1719

Author(s):

Anthony Lewis ◽

Brychan Celfyn Thomas

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Human Resources ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Job Applicants ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Recruitment Strategies ◽

Hr Management ◽

Professional Perspective ◽

Online Recruitment ◽

Management Professionals

Human resources (HR) management professionals have been using different methods of social media (SM) in their recruitment strategies with varying degrees of success. Through examining SM and its effect, this can support the development of a more effective HR recruitment strategy. This research investigates effects and issues associated with SM and recruitment and whether SM is effective as an innovative e-entrepreneurship method of hiring the best job applicants for enterprises. Professionals, recruiters, and employees were questioned on their views of SM from a personal and professional perspective through a variety of methods including focus groups and questionnaires. It is argued that the advantages of using SM for online recruitment include increased efficiency and convenience for both potential employees and enterprises, whereas where the systems are not designed correctly, it can create increased difficulties for the enterprises in communicating with potential employees. A framework is provided that can be used by enterprises in order to create their own SM recruitment cycle.

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“I Don’t Feel Like the Odd One”: Utilizing Content Analysis to Compare the Effects of Social Media Use on Well-Being Among Sexual Minority and Nonminority US Young Adults

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/0890117119885517 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 285-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

César Escobar-Viera ◽

Ariel Shensa ◽

Megan Hamm ◽

Eleanna M. Melcher ◽

Daniel I. Rzewnicki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Social Media ◽

Real Life ◽

Well Being ◽

National Sample ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Mental Well Being

Purpose: Although there is evidence of associations between social media (SM) use and mental well-being among the general population, these associations among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons are poorly understood. This study compared the influence of SM experiences on mental well-being between LGB and non-LGB persons. Design and Setting: Online cross-sectional survey. Participants: National sample of 2408 US adults aged 18 to 30 years. Method: We asked participants to provide examples of when SM affected their well-being separately in good and bad ways. We coded, summed, and used rate ratios (RRs) to compare responses of LGB and non-LGB individuals. Thematically similar codes were described and grouped into categories. Results: Most responses described positive SM effects. However, of 6 codes that were significantly more frequent among LGB respondents, only social capital (RR = 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-2.12) described a positive effect. Five codes described negative effects of SM for LGB users: negative emotional contagion (RR = 1.28, 95% CI, 1.04-1.58), comparison with others (RR = 1.28, 95% CI, 1.01-1.62), real-life repercussions (RR = 1.86, 95% CI, 1.18-2.94), envy (RR = 2.49, 95% CI, 1.48-4.19), and need for profile management (RR = 2.32, 95% CI, 1.07-5.03). Conclusion: These findings suggest that, for LGB persons, gaining social capital from SM is valuable for establishing and maintaining connections. Increased negative SM experiences may pose a risk for the mental well-being of LGB individuals.

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Hiring the Best Job Applicants?

Journal of Media Management and Entrepreneurship ◽

10.4018/jmme.2020070102 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 19-37

Author(s):

Anthony Lewis ◽

Brychan Celfyn Thomas

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Human Resources ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Job Applicants ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Recruitment Strategies ◽

Hr Management ◽

Professional Perspective ◽

Online Recruitment ◽

Management Professionals

Human resources (HR) management professionals have been using different methods of social media (SM) in their recruitment strategies with varying degrees of success. Through examining SM and its effect, this can support the development of a more effective HR recruitment strategy. This research investigates effects and issues associated with SM and recruitment and whether SM is effective as an innovative e-entrepreneurship method of hiring the best job applicants for enterprises. Professionals, recruiters, and employees were questioned on their views of SM from a personal and professional perspective through a variety of methods including focus groups and questionnaires. It is argued that the advantages of using SM for online recruitment include increased efficiency and convenience for both potential employees and enterprises, whereas where the systems are not designed correctly, it can create increased difficulties for the enterprises in communicating with potential employees. A framework is provided that can be used by enterprises in order to create their own SM recruitment cycle.

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Attracting the Right Employees?

Research Anthology on Strategies for Using Social Media as a Service and Tool in Business ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-9020-1.ch045 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 892-918

Author(s):

Anthony Lewis ◽

Brychan Celfyn Thomas ◽

Gwenllian Marged Sanders

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Human Resources ◽

Human Resources Management ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Recruitment Strategies ◽

Professional Perspective ◽

Stakeholder Perspective ◽

Multi Stakeholder ◽

The Right

This chapter investigates effects and issues associated with social media and recruitment and whether it is effective as an innovative e-entrepreneurship method of attracting the right employees for enterprises from a multi stakeholder perspective. Human resources management professionals have been using different methods of social media in their recruitment strategies with varying degrees of success. By examining social media and its effect, this can support the development of a more effective human resources recruitment strategy. Additionally, increased communication channels might enable the development of a more positive internal enterprise culture. The study was conducted using both primary and secondary data. Professionals, recruiters, and employees have been questioned on their views of Social Media from a personal and a professional perspective through a variety of methods including focus groups and questionnaires. This chapter provides a framework that can be used by enterprises in order to create their own social media recruitment cycle.

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Novel Use of a Social-Media-Based Survey to Detect Regional Differences in Management of Monochorionic–Diamniotic Twins

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0039-1701027 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (09) ◽

pp. 890-897

Author(s):

Ilina D. Pluym ◽

Bettina Paek ◽

Martin Walker ◽

Hui Liu ◽

Lorna Kwan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

English Language ◽

Real Life ◽

The United States ◽

Patient Survey ◽

Provider Type ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Patient Reported

Abstract Objective This study aims to evaluate the utility of social media to distribute a patient survey on differences in management and outcomes of monochorionic–diamniotic (MCDA) pregnancies. Study Design A cross-sectional survey was posted to an English-language MCDA twins patient-centered support group within the social media site, Facebook from April 2, 2018 to June 26, 2018. Subjects were recruited through a technique called “snowballing,” whereby individuals shared the survey to assist with recruiting. Patient reported data were analyzed using Chi-square and Kruskal–Wallis's tests to explore characteristics associated with surveillance and outcomes as related to region and provider type. Results Over 3 months, the post “reached” 14,288 Facebook users, among which 5,653 (40%) clicked on the post. A total of 2,357 respondents with MCDA pregnancies completed the survey. Total 1,928 (82%) were from the United States (US) and 419 (18%) from other countries. Total 85% of patients had co-management with maternal–fetal medicine (MFM), more in the US compared with the rest of the world (87 vs. 74%, p < 0.01). MFM involvement led to increased adherence to biweekly ultrasounds (91 vs. 65%, p < 0.01), diagnosis of monochorionicity by 12 weeks (74 vs. 69%, p < 0.01) and better education about twin–twin transfusion syndrome (90 vs. 66%, p < 0.01). Pregnancies with MFM involvement had a higher take-home baby rate for both babies (92 vs. 89%, p < 0.01) or for at least one baby (98 vs. 93%, p < 0.01) compared with those without MFM involvement. Conclusion A survey distributed via social media can be effective in evaluating real-life management and outcomes of an uncommon obstetrical diagnosis. This survey elucidates wide international variation in adherence to guidelines, management, and outcomes.

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