@Article{info:doi/10.2196/35874,
author="Hoffmann, Sofie Have
and Paldam Folker, Anna
and Buskbjerg, Mark
and Paldam Folker, Marie
and Huber Jezek, Andrea
and Lyngs{\o} Svarta, Durita
and Nielsen S{\o}lvh{\o}j, Ida
and Thygesen, Lau",
title="Potential of Online Recruitment Among 15-25-Year Olds: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial",
journal="JMIR Form Res",
year="2022",
month="May",
day="25",
volume="6",
number="5",
pages="e35874",
keywords="recruitment; web based; online; mental health; young people; well-being",
abstract="Background: Recruiting young people for health and intervention studies by traditional methods has become increasingly challenging. The widespread access to the internet may offer new strategies for online recruitment. Objective: This study aims to assess the feasibility of online recruitment for a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of Mindhelper, an online national youth mental health promotion service. The target group was young Danes aged 15-25 in need of mental health promotion. Methods: Advertisements for recruitment were set up on Facebook and Instagram. Browser history was collected for a subsample of participants. We compared basic characteristics of participants who completed the baseline survey and those who did not, as well as of participants who completed the follow-up survey and those who were lost to follow-up. The significance of these differences was tested with the Pearson chi-square test. Results: A total of 560 Danes aged 15-25 were recruited within 1 month (ie, had completed the baseline survey). Among these participants, 356 (63.6{\%}) were at risk of developing depression or stress. The average advertisement price per participant completing the baseline questionnaire was 31 DKK (approximately {\texteuro}4 [US {\$}4.2]). The follow-up survey was sent to 545 participants, of whom 318 (58.3{\%}) completed the survey. No statistically significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics of participants who completed the follow-up and those who were lost to follow-up in terms of gender (P=.45), age (P=.35), occupation (P=.17), cohabitation (P=.90), mental well-being (P=.26), mental illness (P=.44; impact of the illness, P=.05), or use of the internet when having a hard time (P=.92). Conclusions: We conclude that it is feasible to recruit young Danes online for a large-scale randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of Mindhelper. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04650906; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04650906 ",
issn="2561-326X",
doi="10.2196/35874",
url="https://formative.jmir.org/2022/5/e35874",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/35874",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35612877"
}