Recruitment using mass media strategies.

Use of mass media represents a recruitment strategy with a relatively moderate volume of initial contacts and entries, a moderate ratio of entries to initial contacts, and a relatively moderate effort level requirement for the recruitment team. In the CPPT, nine centers recruited participants directly through newspapers, radio or television or a combination. Media sources accounted overall for 4% of initial contacts, 11% of first protocol visits and 11% of entries. The media also served in an adjunctive role to other recruitment strategies. The yield from television and newspaper messages was generally better than that from radio. The flow of response varied appreciably among these types of media. Only one-fourth as many participants recruited through this strategy were excluded due to unwillingness to proceed at the first protocol visit as was observed among all sources.