Abstract
BackgroundMultimodal recruitment strategies are a novel way to increase diversity in research populations. However, these methods have not been previously applied to understanding the prevalence of menstrual disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of recruiting a diverse cohort to complete a web-based survey on ovulation and menstruation health.MethodsWe conducted the Ovulation and Menstruation Health Pilot Study using a REDCap web-based survey platform. We recruited 200 women from a clinical population, a community fair, and the internet.ResultsWe recruited 438 women over 29 weeks between September 2017 and March 2018. After consent and eligibility determination, 345 enrolled, 278 started (clinic: n=43; community fair: n=61; internet: n=174), and 247 completed (clinic: n=28; community fair: n=60; internet: n=159) the survey. Among all participants, the median age was 25.0 (SD 6.0) years, mean BMI was 26.1 kg/m2 (SD 6.6), 79.7% (216/271) had a college degree or higher, and 14.6% (37/254) reported a physician diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Race and ethnicity distributions were 64.7% (176/272) White, 11.8% (32/272) Black/African American, 7.7% (21/272) Latina/Hispanic, and 5.9% (16/272) Asian individuals; 9.9% (27/272) reported more than one race or ethnicity. The highest enrollment of Black/African American individuals was in clinic (17/42, 40.5%) compared to 1.6% (1/61) in the community fair and 8.3% (14/169) using the internet. Survey completion rates were highest among those who were recruited from the internet (159/174, 91.4%) and community fairs (60/61, 98.4%) compared to those recruited in clinic (28/43, 65.1%).ConclusionsMultimodal recruitment achieved target recruitment in a short time period and established a racially diverse cohort to study ovulation and menstruation health. There were greater enrollment and completion rates among those recruited via the internet and community fair.
Highlights
Polycystic ovary syndrome, initially described in 1935 [1], is considered the most common endocrine disorder in reproductive-aged women [2]
Recruitment exceeded our target of 200 women in 8 weeks
During the 6-month recruitment window, 438 women began the consent process, 384 were assessed for eligibility, and 345 women were screened and included (88.7% of those assessed for eligibility)
Summary
Polycystic ovary syndrome, initially described in 1935 [1], is considered the most common endocrine disorder in reproductive-aged women [2]. Existing research on polycystic ovary syndrome is typically conducted in either small clinical cohorts or larger epidemiologic studies. The latter have variable ascertainment of the disease or disease features which may increase misclassification of disease state and bias estimates of risk [13]. Inaccurate classification using single yes or no questions to identify women with polycystic ovary syndrome may bias estimates of the disease. Multimodal recruitment strategies are a novel way to increase diversity in research populations. These methods have not been previously applied to understanding the prevalence of menstrual disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome
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