Abstract

Session presented on: Thursday, July 25, 2013:

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.

Author Details

Jo Ellen Wilbur, PhD, APN, FAAN; Arlene Miller, PhD, RN, FAAN

Sigma Membership

Alpha Lambda

Lead Author Affiliation

Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Health Disparities, Recruitment, Physical Activity

Conference Name

24th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Prague, Czech Republic

Conference Year

2013

Rights Holder

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All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

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Recruitment and cost analysis of screening midlife African-American women for a lifestyle physical activity intervention trial

Prague, Czech Republic

Session presented on: Thursday, July 25, 2013:

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.