Kyra Hudson
Pronouns: She/her
Research Mentor(s): Lenette Jones
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Health Behavior and Biological Sciences / Nursing
Program:
Authors: Sinna Oumer, Korey Monroe, Lenette Jones
Session: Session 6: 3:40 pm – 4:30 pm
Poster: 102
Abstract
Background: African American (Black) women experience disproportionate rates of hypertension, and are hesitant to participate in healthcare-related research. Effectively recruiting Black women for research studies is necessary to mitigate health disparities. Objective(s): To evaluate social media and network-based recruitment strategies in enrolling diverse populations, specifically Black women, in health research to enhance their participation in future studies. Methods: The Wellness, Hypertension, Information-Sharing, Self-Management, Education (WHISE) study ran two recruitment campaigns, one on Facebook (duration 4 months) and the other through the University of Michigan (UM) Health Research network (2 months). Each campaign contained surveys to determine respondent eligibility. To participate in the study, respondents had to meet the following criteria: Black women between ages 18-65, clinically diagnosed with hypertension and resident of Southeast Michigan. Results/Findings: One hundred twenty-two individuals responded to our Facebook campaign; 34 responded to UM Health. The majority of both Facebook (38.5%) and most UM Health respondents (52.9%) were between the ages of 50-65. Mean respondent ages were 49.35 (SD=10.57) – Facebook and 45.25 (SD=14.8) – UM Health. A larger percentage (81.1%) of Facebook respondents met inclusion criteria compared to 70.6% of UM Health. Thirty Facebook and 20 UM Health respondents enrolled in the WHISE study. Conclusion: Black women responded to campaigns on both platforms. Based on our analysis, the Facebook campaign reached more respondents, yet the UM Health reached our targeted population with a shorter campaign duration. This research may assist future studies interested in recruiting diverse populations and evaluating different platforms.
