Recruitment and Cost Analysis of Screening Midlife African-American Women for a Lifestyle Physical Activity Intervention Trial

Wilbur, JoEllen

Thursday, 25 July 2013: 8:50 AM

JoEllen Wilbur, PhD, APN, FAAN
College of Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, IL
Arlene Miller, PhD, RN, FAAN
Department: Community Systems and Mental Health Nursing. College, College of Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, IL

Learning Objective 1: Discuss three recruitment strategies that enhance the inclusion of women most in need into lifestyle physical activity clinical trials.

Learning Objective 2: Identify the benefits of providing an advanced practice nurse screening health assessment to identify cardiovascular risk prior to enrollment in a physical activity trial.

Purpose: A challenge for implementing physical activity interventions in underserved communities is successful recruitment of participants. The need for a medical release often excludes women most in need because they don’t have a provider or cannot afford the additional cost. The purpose of this presentation is to present: 1) outcomes of the recruitment strategies and 2) cost-analyses of providing an advanced practice nurse (APN) screening health assessment for the Women’s Lifestyle Physical Activity Program for African American women. An ecological framework guided recruitment.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial is delivered in health settings in six predominantly African American Chicago communities. A group-visit approach and two telephone strategies (person calls and automated calls) are being tested to increase motivation and improve adherence to physical activity. Indirect recruitment strategies, that prompt volunteers to contact the staff without having direct contact, involved social-networking with trusted community leaders and among participants. Direct recruitment strategies, that brought the recruiters in direct contact with volunteers, involved presentations at community gatherings. APNs recorded time to complete screening health assessments.

Results: Of the 609 women who contacted the program with interest, 49% were eligible, 27% were lost to attrition, and 23% were ineligible. Indirect recruitment strategies were the most effective in generating inquiries. Twenty-four percent heard about the program through social networking among participants and 23% through social networking with trusted community leaders/members. The screening health assessment took an average of 47.6 minutes per subject, an estimated cost of $34.56 (SD $7.44). It was estimated that without the APN health assessment 143 of the eligible woman would not have been able to participate.

Conclusion: Recruitment success was attributed to an engaging recruitment staff who had multiple connections with trusted members in all of the targeted communities and advanced practice nurses who made the program accessible to low to moderate income women.

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