Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jul 23, 2024
Date Accepted: Nov 24, 2024
Recruitment of Young Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men for a Web-Based Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Intervention: Differences in Participant Characteristics and Study Engagement by Recruitment Source
ABSTRACT
Background:
Young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YGBMSM) have been referred to as a “hard-to-reach” or “hidden” community in terms of recruiting for research studies. With widespread internet use among YGBMSM and young adults in general, online avenues represent an important approach for reaching and recruiting members of this community. However, little is known about how participants recruited from various online sources may differ from one another.
Objective:
To determine how YGBMSM recruited from various online sources differ from one another in terms of participant characteristics and study engagement.
Methods:
Data were collected as part of a randomized controlled trial of Outsmart HPV, an online HPV vaccination intervention for YGBMSM. From 2019-2021, we recruited YGBMSM in the United States who were ages 18-25 and not vaccinated against HPV (n=1,227) through various online avenues. We classified each participant as being recruited from either: a) social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat); b) a dating app (e.g., Grindr, Scruff); or c) some other online recruitment source (e.g., existing research panel, university-based organization). Analyses compared participants from these three groups on demographic and health-related characteristics and metrics involving study engagement.
Results:
Most demographic and health-related characteristics differed by online recruitment source, including race/ethnicity, relationship status, education level, employment status, sexual self-identity, health insurance status, disclosure of sexual orientation, and connectedness to the LGBTQ community (all P<.05). The type of device used by participants during study enrollment also differed across groups, with mobile phone use higher among participants recruited via dating apps (96.6%) compared to those recruited via social media (78.9%) or other online sources (60.3%) (P<.001, Chi-square = 175.07, df =4). Participants recruited via social media were more likely than those recruited via dating app to complete follow-up surveys at three different timepoints (odds ratios ranged from 1.52 to 2.09, all P<.01), and these participants also spent a longer amount of time viewing online content about HPV vaccination (3.14 minutes vs. 2.67 minutes, β=.18, P=.02, t-value = 2.31).
Conclusions:
We were able to recruit a large national sample of YGBMSM for an online HPV vaccination intervention via multiple online methodologies. Participants differed on a range of demographic and health-related characteristics, as well as metrics related to study engagement, based on whether they were recruited from social media, a dating app, or some other online recruitment source. Findings highlight key issues and considerations that can help researchers better plan and customize future online recruitment efforts of YGBMSM. Clinical Trial: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04032106
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