Abstract
Background/Aims The challenges of obesity interventions have led researchers and policy makers to focus on obesity prevention. Studying normal weight individuals as they transition from adolescence into adulthood is an interesting group because they have avoided obesity thus far in their life. However, it is a period of weight gain. HMOs have unparalleled access to young adults, but they are typically hard to reach; effective methods to recruit them into studies are relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify effective recruitment methods of 18 year old Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) members.
Methods The study population was age 18 years in 2012, had at least one outpatient visit with a body mass index (BMI) in 2012, was generally healthy, and normal weight (BMI <25kg/m2). From over 13,000 individuals that met criteria, 500 were randomly selected (55% female) to be contacted through mail, telephone, email, or text. We asked them to complete a 9-item survey. Recruitment was conducted over 6 weeks by 2 research associates. Attempts were made to contact 320 individuals, of which 185 members had an email in our electronic records. The protocol allowed for 5 email attempts, after which telephone attempts were made.
Results Overall 82 persons (25.6%) completed the survey and 30 (9%) actively refused. For those with an email, 27 surveys were completed (15%), with 4 refusals. Another 23 completed the survey by telephone, with 8 refusals. Of the telephone-only persons, 32 surveys were completed and 18 refused. Incorrect contact information was found for 23 persons. At the end of 6 weeks, we did not reach the remaining members, although anecdotally we spoke to many parents.
Conclusions Future efforts may require more staff time. Even though the members were adults, many parents were still gatekeepers for their children. It may be more effective to target a younger age group to recruit parents as well as children to obtain informed consent.
