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Recruitment of young adults for weight gain prevention: randomized comparison of direct mail strategies.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Recruiting young adults (ages 18-35 years) into weight gain prevention intervention studies is challenging and men are particularly difficult to reach. This paper describes two studies designed to improve recruitment for a randomized trial of weight gain prevention interventions. Study 1 used a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of two types of direct mailings on their overall reach. Study 2 used a randomized design to test the effect of using targeted messages to increase recruitment of men into the trial. METHODS:For Study 1, 60,000 male and female young-adult households were randomly assigned to receive either a recruitment brochure or postcard. Visits to recruitment websites during each mailing period were used to assess response to each mailing. Study 2 focused on postcard recruitment only. These households received either a targeted or generic recruitment postcard, where targeted postcards included the word "Men" in the headline text. Response rates to each type of card were categorized based on participant report of mailing received. RESULTS:The reach of the postcards and brochures were similar (421 and 386 website visits, respectively; P?=?0.22). Individuals who received the brochure were more likely to initiate the online screener than those who received a postcard (P?=?0.01). In Study 2, of those who completed the telephone screening, 60.9 % of men (n?=?23) had received the targeted postcard as compared to the generic postcard (39.1 %, P?=?0.30). The reverse was true for women (n?=?62, 38.7 vs. 61.3 %, P?=?0.08). CONCLUSIONS:These studies suggest there was little difference in the reach of postcards versus brochures. However, recipients of brochures were more likely to continue to the next stage of study participation. As expected, men's response to the weight gain prevention messages was lower than women's response; but using targeted messages appears to have modestly increased the proportion of male respondents. These studies add to the limited experimental literature on recruitment messaging and provide further indication for using targeted messages to reach underrepresented populations while providing initial evidence on the effect of mailing type on message reach. TRIAL REGISTRATION:The Study of Novel Approaches to Weight Gain Prevention was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT01183689 ) on 13 August 2010.

SUBMITTER: Crane MM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4897900 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Recruitment of young adults for weight gain prevention: randomized comparison of direct mail strategies.

Crane Melissa M MM LaRose Jessica Gokee JG Espeland Mark A MA Wing Rena R RR Tate Deborah F DF

Trials 20160608 1

<h4>Background</h4>Recruiting young adults (ages 18-35 years) into weight gain prevention intervention studies is challenging and men are particularly difficult to reach. This paper describes two studies designed to improve recruitment for a randomized trial of weight gain prevention interventions. Study 1 used a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of two types of direct mailings on their overall reach. Study 2 used a randomized design to test the effect of using targeted messages to in ...[more]

PMID: 27278474

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Project description:BackgroundYounger adults are difficult to engage in preventive health, yet in Australia they are gaining more weight and increasing in waist circumference faster than middle-to-older adults. A further challenge to engaging 18- to 35-year-olds in interventions is the limited reporting of outcomes of recruitment strategies.ObjectiveThis paper describes the outcomes of strategies used to recruit young adults to a randomized controlled trial (RCT), healthy lifestyle mHealth program, TXT2BFiT, for prevention of weight gain. The progression from enquiry through eligibility check to randomization into the trial and the costs of recruitment strategies are reported. Factors associated with nonparticipation are explored.MethodsParticipants were recruited either via letters of invitation from general practitioners (GPs) or via electronic or print advertisements, including Facebook and Google-social media and advertising-university electronic newsletters, printed posters, mailbox drops, and newspapers. Participants recruited from GP invitation letters had an appointment booked with their GP for eligibility screening. Those recruited from other methods were sent an information pack to seek approval to participate from their own GP. The total number and source of enquiries were categorized according to eligibility and subsequent completion of steps to enrolment. Cost data and details of recruitment strategies were recorded.ResultsFrom 1181 enquiries in total from all strategies, 250 (21.17%) participants were randomized. A total of 5311 invitation letters were sent from 12 GP practices-16 participating GPs. A total of 131 patients enquired with 68 participants randomized (68/74 of those eligible, 92%). The other recruitment methods yielded the remaining 182 randomized participants. Enrolment from print media was 26% of enquiries, from electronic media was 20%, and from other methods was 3%. Across all strategies the average cost of recruitment was Australian Dollar (AUD) $139 per person. The least expensive modality was electronic (AUD $37), largely due to a free feature story on one university Web home page, despite Facebook advertising costing AUD $945 per enrolment. The most expensive was print media at AUD $213 and GP letters at AUD $145 per enrolment.ConclusionsThe research indicated that free electronic media was the most cost-effective strategy, with GP letters the least expensive of the paid strategies in comparison to the other strategies. This study is an important contribution for future research into efficacy, translation, and implementation of cost-effective programs for the prevention of weight gain in young adults. Procedural frameworks for recruitment protocols are required, along with systematic reporting of recruitment strategies to reduce unnecessary expenditure and allow for valuable public health prevention programs to go beyond the research setting.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12612000924853; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=362872 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6YpNfv1gI).

Project description:ImportanceWeight gain occurs commonly in young adults and has adverse effects on health.ObjectiveTo compare 2 self-regulation interventions vs control in reducing weight gain in young adults over a mean follow-up of 3 years.Design, setting, and participantsRandomized clinical trial in 2 academic settings of 599 participants aged 18 to 35 years with body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 21.0 to 30.0, recruited via mailings and emails from August 2010 to February 2012. Data were analyzed from January 2015 to January 2016.InterventionsParticipants were randomized to control, self-regulation plus small changes, or self-regulation plus large changes. Both interventions focused on frequent self-weighing to cue behavior changes. "Small changes" taught participants to reduce intake and increase activity, both by approximately 100 calories per day. "Large changes" focused on losing 2.3 to 4.5 kg initially to buffer against expected weight gain.Main outcomes and measuresChanges in weight from baseline over mean follow-up of 3 years. Secondary outcomes included proportion gaining at least 0.45 kg from baseline, proportion developing obesity (BMI, ≥30.0), and weight change baseline to 2 years.ResultsAmong the 599 participants (22% men; 27% minority; mean [SD] age, 27.7 [4.4] years; mean [SD] BMI, 25.4 [2.6]), mean (SE) weight changes over a mean follow-up of 3 years were 0.26 (0.22), -0.56 (0.22), and -2.37 (0.22) kg in the control, small-changes, and large-changes groups, respectively (P < .001). Differences among all 3 groups were significant (large changes vs control, P < .001; small changes vs control, P = .02; large changes vs small changes, P < .001). On secondary outcomes, both interventions significantly reduced incidence of obesity relative to control (mean [SE], 8.6% [2.0%], 7.9% [2.0%], and 16.9% [2.7%] in the large-changes, small-changes, and control groups, respectively; P = .02 for large changes vs control and P = .002 for small changes vs control); a smaller percentage of participants in the large-changes group gained 0.45 kg or more (mean [SE], 23.6% [2.8%], 32.5% [3.8%], and 40.8% [4.4%], respectively; P < .001 vs control and P = .02 vs small changes) and weight change from baseline to 2 years was greater in control than in small or large changes (mean [SE], 0.54 [0.33], -0.77 [0.33], and -1.50 [0.34] kg, respectively; P = .02 vs small changes and P < .001 vs large changes).Conclusions and relevanceSelf-regulation with large or small changes both reduced weight gain in young adults over 3 years relative to control, but the large-changes intervention was more effective.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01183689.

Project description:BackgroundWeight gain during young adulthood is common and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Preventing this weight gain from occurring may be critical to improving long-term health. Few studies have focused on weight gain prevention, and these studies have had limited success. SNAP (Study of Novel Approaches to Weight Gain Prevention) is an NIH-funded randomized clinical trial examining the efficacy of two novel self-regulation approaches to weight gain prevention in young adults compared to a minimal treatment control. The interventions focus on either small, consistent changes in eating and exercise behaviors, or larger, periodic changes to buffer against expected weight gains.Methods/designSNAP targets recruitment of six hundred young adults (18-35 years) with a body mass index between 21.0-30.0 kg/m2, who will be randomly assigned with equal probability to: (1) minimal intervention control; (2) self-regulation with Small Changes; or (3) self-regulation with Large Changes. Both interventions receive 8 weekly face-to-face group sessions, followed by 2 monthly sessions, with two 4-week refresher courses in each of subsequent years. Participants are instructed to report weight via web at least monthly thereafter, and receive monthly email feedback. Participants in Small Changes are taught to make small daily changes (~100 calorie changes) in how much or what they eat and to accumulate 2000 additional steps per day. Participants in Large Changes are taught to create a weight loss buffer of 5-10 pounds once per year to protect against anticipated weight gains. Both groups are encouraged to self-weigh daily and taught a self-regulation color zone system that specifies action depending on weight gain prevention success. Individualized treatment contact is offered to participants who report weight gains. Participants are assessed at baseline, 4 months, and then annually. The primary outcome is weight gain over an average of 3 years of follow-up; secondary outcomes include diet and physical activity behaviors, psychosocial measures, and cardiovascular disease risk factors.DiscussionSNAP is unique in its focus on weight gain prevention in young adulthood. The trial will provide important information about whether either or both of these novel interventions are effective in preventing weight gain.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01183689.

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Recruitment of young adults for weight gain prevention: randomized comparison of direct mail strategies.

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Recruitment of young adults for weight gain prevention: randomized comparison of direct mail strategies.

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