R Mychasiuk1, K Benzies. 1. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, AB, Canada. rmmychas@ucalgary.ca
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Facebook is currently one of the world's most visited websites, and home to millions of users who access their accounts on a regular basis. Owing to the website's ease of accessibility and free service, demographic characteristics of users span all domains. As such, Facebook may be a valuable tool for locating and communicating with participants in longitudinal research studies. This article outlines the benefit gained in a longitudinal follow-up study, of an intervention programme for at-risk families, through the use of Facebook as a search engine. RESULTS: Using Facebook as a resource, we were able to locate 19 participants that were otherwise 'lost' to follow-up, decreasing attrition in our study by 16%. Additionally, analysis indicated that hard-to-reach participants located with Facebook differed significantly on measures of receptive language and self-esteem when compared to their easier-to-locate counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Facebook is an effective means of improving participant retention in a longitudinal intervention study and may help improve study validity by reaching participants that contribute differing results.
BACKGROUND: Facebook is currently one of the world's most visited websites, and home to millions of users who access their accounts on a regular basis. Owing to the website's ease of accessibility and free service, demographic characteristics of users span all domains. As such, Facebook may be a valuable tool for locating and communicating with participants in longitudinal research studies. This article outlines the benefit gained in a longitudinal follow-up study, of an intervention programme for at-risk families, through the use of Facebook as a search engine. RESULTS: Using Facebook as a resource, we were able to locate 19 participants that were otherwise 'lost' to follow-up, decreasing attrition in our study by 16%. Additionally, analysis indicated that hard-to-reach participants located with Facebook differed significantly on measures of receptive language and self-esteem when compared to their easier-to-locate counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Facebook is an effective means of improving participant retention in a longitudinal intervention study and may help improve study validity by reaching participants that contribute differing results.
Authors: Katharine Brieger; Gregory J M Zajac; Anita Pandit; Johanna R Foerster; Kevin W Li; Aubrey C Annis; Ellen M Schmidt; Chris P Clark; Karly McMorrow; Wei Zhou; Jingjing Yang; Alan M Kwong; Andrew P Boughton; Jinxi Wu; Chris Scheller; Tanvi Parikh; Alejandro de la Vega; David M Brazel; Maia Frieser; Gianna Rea-Sandin; Lars G Fritsche; Scott I Vrieze; Gonçalo R Abecasis Journal: Am J Hum Genet Date: 2019-06-13 Impact factor: 11.025
Authors: Shawna L Stratton; Horace J Spencer; William W Greenfield; Gordon Low; Wilbur C Hitt; Charles M Quick; Susanne K Jeffus; Victoria Blackmon; Mayumi Nakagawa Journal: Clin Trials Date: 2015-01-09 Impact factor: 2.486