Abstract
Extensive challenges are often encountered when recruiting participants to chronic exercise (training) studies. High participant burden during chronic exercise training programmes can result in low uptake to and/or poor compliance with the study. The aim of this qualitative study was to identify factors affecting adolescent girls’ recruitment and adherence to chronic exercise training research studies. Twenty-six adolescent girls (aged 12 to 15 years) participated in one of five focus groups discussing recruitment and retention to exercise physiology research involving a chronic exercise training programme. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and eight final themes were inductively identified. Seven evidence-based practical recommendations are suggested to improve the recruitment and retention of participants for prospective, chronic exercise training studies. Successful recruitment requires: (i) the defining of exercise-related terms; (ii) appropriate choice of recruitment material; and (iii) an understanding of participant motivations. Retention strategies include: (iv) regular monitoring of participant motives; and (v) small groups which foster peer and researcher support. Finally, (vi) friendship and ability groups were favoured in addition to (vii) a variety of activities to promote adherence to an exercise training programme.
Highlights
Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels are important for both adults and young people when completing everyday activities to athletic performance
The girls suggested the initial communication of the study is an important factor when recruiting adolescent girls to a chronic exercise training programme
Qualitative work has great potential to enhance the development of such health related interventions [16]. This qualitative study contributes to the development of exercise physiology research and how such exercise training programmes might be enhanced by identifying important factors, specific to adolescent girls, which influence recruitment and retention to prospective studies
Summary
Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels are important for both adults and young people when completing everyday activities to athletic performance. There appears to be a decline in CRF during adolescence in girls [1]. Low CRF levels have been shown to be associated with adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk factors [2]. Exercise training could be used to prevent this reduction in CRF and could, promote improved mental health, quality of life and academic performance [2]. Recruiting adolescents to exercise research studies can be very challenging [3,4]. Adolescent girls can be difficult to recruit, due, in part, to gender-specific challenges (e.g., body image concerns, social comparison [5] and conflicting activities [6])
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