Email Campaigns Research Articles

Quality of life and mental health outcomes: the role of sociodemographic factors in the Palestinian context

The Mental health of Palestinians has been described as among the lowest in the world, with over half of Palestinian adults meeting the diagnostic threshold for depressive symptoms and a significant portion of Palestinians experiencing mental distress and anxiety. The aim of the current study was to test the correlation between quality of life (QoL) and mental health outcomes, and the role of sociodemographic variables in predicting mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress) among Palestinian adults during a challenging period of political conflict. The sample of our study consisted of 957 participants, 283 males and 674 females they were recruited using online methods; online advertisements, e-mail campaigns and social media. Our findings showed that QoL negatively correlated with stress (r = − 0.43, p < 0.01), anxiety (r = − 0.46, p < 0.01), and depression (r = − 0.47, p < 0.05). Moreover, stress positively correlated with anxiety (r = 0.81, p < 0.01), and depression (r = 0.89, p < 0.01). Finally, anxiety positively correlated with depression (r = 0.82, p < 0.01). Results of hierarchical regression analysis to predict stress, anxiety and depression, indicated that QoL, educational level, gender, region of residence, and age explained in a significant way variance in depression, anxiety and stress. Our findings are promising to conduct other studies in order to understand better how current study variables correlate to each other, so appropriate clinical interventions to mitigate the negative effects of depression, anxiety, and stress through enhancing quality of life and positive coping strategies can be developed and implemented by mental health providers.

Think Through Anticipated Email Campaigns

Think Through Anticipated Email Campaigns

Giving Day: Conducting a symphony or herding cats?

A key irony that is uncovered is that beneath the surface of giving day fundraising frenzy is a strong and well-planned marketing infrastructure, and a gift processing operation that typically appears very structured on the surface needs to embrace the fun of the day and the ‘big picture’ effect its work has. This paper will provide a window to the George Mason University Giving Day strategy that resulted in a record giving effort for 2021. The overall theme of the paper is that, while giving day may appear to be a free-wheeling day of school spirit, a successful effort is based on good strategy, rigorous planning and executed on a solid framework. Key areas of focus include communication plans, website, events and workflows. Elements of success that are covered include investment in creating a culture of philanthropy, identifying and motivating networks, innovation and developing compelling messaging. Tactical topics such as: appeal codes, e-mail marketing tools and progress indicators are also covered. It also emphasises that a strong operational partnership with gift processing is needed to ensure that donors who were motivated to give are not only thanked in a timely manner but also that the data is used to feed the overall fundraising operation management process. Illustrations included provide visual identity branding examples, a visual of the Giving Day toolkit used to empower various divisions of the university in their efforts, a timeline of action for e-mail campaigns along with key data points for monitoring success, and a visual used by the gifts processing team to emphasise the big picture and effect in moves management areas such as: identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship and alumni network development.

Unlimited Testing: Let’s Test Your Emails with AI

How to use AI to Predict Success of Email Campaigns

Factors Influencing Nutritional Intake and Interests in Educational Content of Athletes and Sport Professionals Toward the Development of a Clinician-Supported Mobile App to Combat Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport: Formative Research and a Description of App Functions.

Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) as a consequence of athlete malnutrition remains a prominent issue. However, it remains underrecognized, in part due to the perceived outward health of athletes. The Eat2Win app was designed to combat RED-S and athlete malnutrition by providing education, behavior modification, and direct communication with expert sports dietitians to athletes and sport professionals (professionals who work with athletes, eg, sport coaches and athletic trainers). The purpose of this formative research was to gain critical insight on motivators and barriers to optimal nutritional intake from both the athletes' and sport professionals' perspectives. Additionally, since these 2 groups represent the primary end users of an app aimed at improving athlete nutrition and reducing the risk of RED-S, a secondary objective was to gain insight on the preferences and perceptions of app-based educational content and functionality. An electronic survey was developed by an interdisciplinary team of experts. Survey questions were established based upon prevailing literature, professional dietetic field experience, and app design considerations to obtain respondent knowledge on key sports nutrition topics along with motivations and barriers to meal choices. Additionally, the survey included questions about the development of an integrative, clinician-support app aimed at addressing RED-S. These questions included preferences for educational content, modes of in-app information, and communication delivery for the target population (app end users: athletes and sport professionals). The survey was distributed through Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) to athletes and sport professionals using targeted email, social media, and community engagement campaigns. The electronic survey was available from May 4 to August 2, 2022. Survey respondents (n=1352) included athletes and professionals who work with athletes from a variety of settings, like high school, collegiate, professional, and club sports. Respondents reported high interest in 8 core sports nutrition topics. The preferred modes of information and communication delivery were visual formats (eg, videos and infographics) and in-app alerts (eg, direct messaging and meal reminders). Only athlete respondents were asked about motivators and barriers that influence meal choices. "Health" and "sports performance" were the highest scoring motivators, while the highest scoring barriers were "cost of food," "easy access to unhealthy food," and "time to cook or prepare food." Notably, survey respondents provided positive feedback and interest using a novel function of the app: real-time meal feedback through food photography. The Eat2Win app is designed to combat RED-S and athlete malnutrition. Results from this study provide critical information on end-user opinions and preferences and will be used to further develop the Eat2Win app. Future research will aim to determine whether the Eat2Win app can prevent RED-S and the risk of athlete malnutrition to improve both health and performance.

THE EFFECTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON DIGITAL MARKETING

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a key way to improve digital marketing. AI can help marketers build better products, deliver faster and more relevant advertising to customers, and better understand their audience's data patterns. Brands are using AI in marketing to craft more personalized customer experiences across all channels, from email campaigns to social media posts. It can help marketers better understand how their audience interacts with their brand and what types of messaging will resonate most effectively. At the same time, brands struggle to find a balance between using AI and remaining transparent with customers. As more companies invest in AI-powered products, customers will expect more transparency around how these technologies work—and what they mean for privacy. AI can be used in various ways, from improving website navigation to using computer vision to create more targeted ads.AI is integrated into many digital marketing tools marketers use daily. It can help them with things like social media management, graphic design, content creation, and keyword research. It can also help them with things like customer service and lead generation by automating repetitive tasks.AI might be able to answer simple questions about company products or services without any human intervention.AI has potential to make marketers' lives easier in the future by automating many of their current tasks and providing insights about consumers. In this study, content analysis and interview methods were used to analyze various AI tools used in digital marketing and how they can improve the projects of digital marketers.

Testing Multiple Methods to Effectively Promote Use of a Knowledge Portal to Health Policy Makers: Quasi-Experimental Evaluation.

Health policy makers and advocates increasingly utilize online resources for policy-relevant knowledge. Knowledge brokering is one potential mechanism to encourage the use of research evidence in policy making, but the mechanisms of knowledge brokerage in online spaces are understudied. This work looks at knowledge brokerage through the launch of Project ASPEN, an online knowledge portal developed in response to a New Jersey legislative act that established a pilot program for adolescent depression screening for young adults in grades 7-12. This study compares the ability to drive policy brief downloads by policy makers and advocates from the Project ASPEN knowledge portal using a variety of online methods to promote the knowledge portal. The knowledge portal was launched on February 1, 2022, and a Google Ad campaign was run between February 27, 2022, and March 26, 2022. Subsequently, a targeted social media campaign, an email campaign, and tailored research presentations were used to promote the website. Promotional activities ended on May 31, 2022. Website analytics were used to track a variety of actions including new users coming to the website, page views, and policy brief downloads. Statistical analysis was used to assess the efficacy of different approaches. The campaign generated 2837 unique user visits to the knowledge portal and 4713 page views. In addition, the campaign generated 6.5 policy web page views/day and 0.7 policy brief downloads/day compared with 1.8 views/day and 0.5 downloads/day in the month following the campaign. The rate of policy brief page view conversions was significantly higher for Google Ads compared with other channels such as email (16.0 vs 5.4; P<.001) and tailored research presentations (16.0 vs 0.8; P<.001). The download conversion rate for Google Ads was significantly higher compared with social media (1.2 vs 0.1; P<.001) and knowledge brokering activities (1.2 vs 0.2; P<.001). By contrast, the download conversion rate for the email campaign was significantly higher than that for social media (1.0 vs 0.1; P<.001) and tailored research presentations (1.0 vs 0.2; P<.001). While Google Ads for this campaign cost an average of US $2.09 per click, the cost per conversion was US $11 per conversion to drive targeted policy web page views and US $147 per conversion to drive policy brief downloads. While other approaches drove less traffic, those approaches were more targeted and cost-effective. Four tactics were tested to drive user engagement with policy briefs on the Project ASPEN knowledge portal. Google Ads was shown to be effective in driving a high volume of policy web page views but was ineffective in terms of relative costs. More targeted approaches such as email campaigns and tailored research presentations given to policy makers and advocates to promote the use of research evidence on the knowledge portal website are likely to be more effective when balancing goals and cost-effectiveness.

Adaptive Recruitment Strategies for Decentralized Trials: Learnings from INTUITION: A Brain Health Study (P4-6.001)

<h3>Objective:</h3> To describe the recruitment approach in a large-scale, virtual, observational study of brain health. <h3>Background:</h3> Decentralized trials using digital devices for data collection offer new recruitment opportunities compared to traditional site-based studies. Digital strategies greatly expand reach and accessibility to broader populations, however, not without introducing self-selection bias for individuals facile with consumer technology. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> INTUITION (NCT05058950) is a two-year observational study of 23,000 US-based participants, using remote-data collection with a study-specific app, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Recruitment tactics included: (i) electronic and traditional word-of-mouth referral by participants, (ii) social media advertisements and search engine results, (iii) email outreach, (iv) community health and advocacy events, and (v) study website and App Store traffic. At regular intervals, we evaluated performance for each recruitment strategy and shifted resources to optimize ongoing recruitment to attain demographic heterogeneity. <h3>Results:</h3> 3 key findings emerged from the recruitment strategy. First, the decentralized design lowered traditional barriers to participation and expedited enrollment. Within 12-months, over 50,000 individuals from all 50 states downloaded the study app and consented with 42% of those completing enrollment. This suggests a broad willingness to participate in virtual research. Second, the technology and device eligibility criteria did not prevent enrollment of a heterogenous study population, in terms of age (range: 21–86 years, median: 62.8), sex (64.8% female), race/ethnicity (24% non-Caucasian), education (33.8% with educational attainment below college degree), income (22.1% &lt; US$50k annual), and cognitive health (17.1% with cognitive complaints/impairment). Third, the most successful recruitment tactics were family and friend referrals and focused email campaigns, which consistently outperformed tactics through social media and paid search channels. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> INTUITION expeditiously enrolled a large, heterogenous adult population with a multi-faceted recruitment strategy which could adjust to ongoing performance feedback. Word-of-mouth and email outreaches that focused on demographic diversity emerged as the most efficient tactics. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Ash has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Mr. Kenny has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Mr. Kenny has stock in Biogen. Mr. Hobbs has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Mr. Hobbs has stock in Biogen. Dr. Becker has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Dr. Brown has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Dr. Brown has stock in Biogen. Dr. Saha-Chaudhuri has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Dr. Saha-Chaudhuri has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Biogen. Dr. Saha-Chaudhuri has stock in Biogen. Dr. Lenyoun has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Apple. Dr. Lenyoun has stock in Apple. Matt Bianchi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Butler has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Dr. Butler has stock in Biogen. Dr. Belachew has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen Inc. Dr. Belachew has received stock or an ownership interest from Biogen Inc.

How to Improve the Performance of Email Marketing Campaigns? A Field Experiment Using the Authority Principle to Improve Email Performance

Abstract In marketing, authority figures are often used to convince the audience: think of the doctor in the white coat or the professor recommending a product. Some of these techniques can be translated to the world of email marketing, which sparked our interest to see if recipients are more eager to open an email when it is send by the CEO of a company. For this project, we collaborated with a digital marketing company and run two randomized field experiments: examining if a small change in the email design – adding CEO to the sender line – has an effect on performance. Our results indicate that organizations can use authority figures to improve the performance of their email campaigns. However, there might be important differences between target groups, suggesting that specific audiences are more easily seduced by job titles than others.

Exploring the Benefits of E-commerce Applications for Efficient Online Operations

An E-commerce application provides a comprehensive solution for businesses to manage their online sales and operations. It enables merchants to set up an online store, list products or services, and accept payments from customers. The platform provides a user-friendly interface for customers to browse and purchase products, track orders, and receive updates on delivery status. E-commerce applications provide tools for managing inventory, shipping, and taxes in addition to selling and processing payments. Retailers can monitor stock levels, restock alerts, and sales reports with the aid of inventory management. Merchants can configure shipping options, print shipping labels, and monitor deliveries thanks to shipping management. The management and calculation of taxes guarantees that businesses follow all applicable local tax laws and regulations. Customer relationship management (CRM) features for e-commerce applications also include email marketing, customer reviews and ratings, and customer support. By offering top-notch customer support, promoting goods, and interacting with customers via email campaigns, these features assist businesses in establishing and maintaining a loyal customer base. Additionally, e-commerce applications offer a variety of analytics and reporting tools that enable retailers to learn more about sales, consumer behaviour, Overall E-commerce applications offer businesses a comprehensive and affordable way to expand their customer base and efficiently run their online operations. E-commerce applications assist merchants in saving time and resources while expanding their online businesses by automating various business processes and offering robust features.

The development of phishing during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of over 1100 targeted domains

To design preventive policy measures for email phishing, it is helpful to be aware of the phishing schemes and trends that are currently applied. How phishing schemes and patterns emerge and adapt is an ongoing field of study. Existing phishing works already reveal a rich set of phishing schemes, patterns, and trends that provide insight into the mechanisms used. However, there seems to be limited knowledge about how email phishing is affected in periods of social disturbance, such as COVID-19 in which phishing numbers have quadrupled. Therefore, we investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic influences the phishing emails sent during the first year of the pandemic. The email content (header data and html body, excl. attachments) is evaluated to assess how the pandemic influences the topics of phishing emails over time (peaks and trends), whether email campaigns correlate with momentous events and trends of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what hidden content revealed. This is studied through an in-depth analysis of the body of 500.000 phishing emails addressed to Dutch registered top-level domains collected during the start of the pandemic. The study reveals that most COVID-19 related phishing emails follow known patterns indicating that perpetrators are more likely to adapt than to reinvent their schemes.

The Correlation Between Religiosity and Death Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Palestine

Previous studies have demonstrated that religiosity may be a predictive factor for anxiety related to death among adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic; however, current study variables have not been examined among Palestinians. This correlational study was the first to test the association between religiosity and death anxiety among Palestinians in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sample data consisted of 548 Palestinian adults. Data was collected through online advertisements, e-mail, and social media campaigns. Findings confirmed that death anxiety negatively correlated with religiosity (r = −.31, p&amp;lt;0.01). Regression analysis for predicting anxiety related to death determined that religiosity accounted for statistical and significant variance in death anxiety (B= −.191, SE=.040, β=−.20). It is recommended that further studies be conducted to explore the correlation between our current study variables and other related variables. This study also recommends the development of intervention programs to decrease death anxiety during pandemics or crises and enhance the protective factors of individuals.

The factorial structure and psychometric properties of the PERMA-Profiler Arabic version to measure well-being within a Palestinian adult population

BackgroundThe PERMA-Profiler is an international methods designed to test the general wellbeing of adults in terms of 5 pillars: positive and negative emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment .In our study, we tested the psychometric properties and the factorial structure of PERMA-Profiler within the Palestinian context using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The sample of the current study consisted of 582 Palestinian adults recruited from online advertisements, e-mail campaigns and social media.ResultsThe PERMA-Profiler showed good validity and reliability indicators in assessing general wellbeing among Palestinians, the CFA results revealed a stable five-factor construct of the PERMA-Profiler.ConclusionsMore future studies validating the PERMA-Profiler with diverse groups in the Palestinian context are recommendable, which will enable mental health providers to develop clinical interventions targeting individuals who suffer from mental distress and low levels of well-being.

Programmatic approaches to achieving equity for women in anesthesiology.

Programmatic approaches to achieving equity for women in anesthesiology.

Energy drinks, depression, insomnia and stress among Palestinians: The mediating role of cigarettes smoking, electronic cigarettes and waterpipe

We investigated the association between energy drinks, depression, insomnia and stress among Palestinians and whether cigarette smoking, electronic cigarettes, and waterpipe mediate the association between these variables. Our study sample consisted of 506 Palestinian adults: 120 men and 386 women recruited from online advertisements, e-mail campaigns and social media. Findings showed a positive correlation between energy drinks, depression, insomnia, and stress. While a positive correlation was found between energy drinks, cigarette smoking, electronic smoking and waterpipe. Results of path analysis showed that energy drinks, cigarette smoking, electronic smoking and waterpipe mediated the correlation between energy drinks, insomnia, depression and stress. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase community awareness regarding the adverse effects of excessive energy drink consumption among Palestinians. Accordingly, training programs, workshops, and open days targeting Palestinians to improve awareness of the adverse effects of energy drinks on physical and mental health are crucial to reducing Palestinians’ extensive use of energy drinks.

What does salad have to do with racial justice? Promoting solidarity in the time of COVID-19

In the late spring and summer of 2020, a local build-your-own salad restaurant chain, along with many mid-size corporations and local non-profit organizations, sent an e-mail statement in response to the death of George Floyd by the police. Different from corporations and large institutions, these businesses and organizations — what we collectively term the “salad group” within our sample — associated their product or service (ranging from salads to yoga mats to chocolate) with the project of creating a more local, socially just, and inclusive community. A thematic analysis of 81 crowdsourced organization e-mail messages identified the use of both internal and external appeals for action, although organizations chiefly focused on their internal actions. Our analysis revealed that these e-mails primarily offered solutions that invited or highlighted Black participation in their business enterprises. We describe such statements as salad solidarity, a genre of promotion that simultaneously appeals to consumers and social change. Indeed, the framing of possible external responses as tied to consumer choice — and internal responses as tied to a company’s growth and reach — do not directly address the structural problems that spurred these e-mail campaigns. Consequently, such corporate and digital messaging of social movements provokes questions about the commercialization of political movements and the value that language and digital tools hold in building solidarity. We conclude with observations on how e-mails, and digital platforms more broadly, can and cannot facilitate political change, from the analytical lens of racial capitalism. These findings have broader implications for the study of corporate-social responsibility, networked social movements, and mediated communication.

Leveraging Digital Tools for Health Communication and Promotion

Globally, one-third of the world’s population has difficulty searching, comprehending, and using information needed to maintain health and well-being (Van den Broucke, 2020). Empowering people to learn and practice healthy behaviors and engage in self-care is at the core of health promotion (Van den Broucke, 2020). Appropriate health communication has been vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic impact can be alleviated by promoting healthy behaviors while using appropriate tools to publicize information in easily understood language by the public. Most health information is accessed online so digital health communication and promotion is important. Numerous digital tools are available. Electronic mail (email) is a powerful tool to engage with various audiences using electronic devices. Worldwide 3.9 billion people use email, spending up to five hours daily to check work and personal emails (SlideShare, 2019) (Statista, 2021). Emails are cost effective and directly connect the intended audience with personalized content. MailChimp is a digital tool that the Institute for Population Health (IPH), Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar uses to disseminate credible information via email to create awareness about health-related topics. MailChimp is convenient to use with in-built templates to create visually appealing content along with the option to add unique links as required. Embedding useful links and eye-catching visuals attracts consumers to read and learn from the content. MailChimp also hosts the audience database, manages audience preferences, and facilitates scheduling/sending the newsletters. For example, the IPH ‘Stay Safe, Stay Healthy’ newsletter created on MailChimp, focuses on topics relevant to COVID-19, health, and well-being. The newsletters guide the public to navigate, and access trusted/reputable sources to adopt lifestyles appropriate for optimum health and well-being. They provide information in simple language using appealing and culturally appropriate visuals and communicate new or updated evidence as necessary. The newsletter email campaigns have garnered 111,789 opens (total times the campaign was opened by recipients) and 28,507 clicks (total times any tracked link was clicked) from March 2020-2022 (MailChimp, 2022). Reliable, evidence-based, and well-crafted health communication can facilitate behavior change, dispel fear and uncertainty, promote compliance with positive health behaviors, and disseminate reliable and succinct information (Finset, 2020). It can also help alleviate stress and feelings of ‘overwhelm’ when confronted with information overload online (Van den Broucke, 2020). Most digital tools such as MailChimp are accessible via a paid subscription. Subscription fees could be a deterrent to their use. Nevertheless, digital tools like MailChimp are an effective means to optimize emails and can contribute to health promotion by facilitating the dissemination of health-related information via email, in a timely, efficient, and effective manner.

Costs and Barriers Associated With the Recruitment of Children for a Nutrition Randomized Clinical Trial During COVID-19

ObjectivesRecruitment of children for randomized clinical trials (RCT) is challenging, especially during a pandemic. This analysis aimed to (1) evaluate the cost and effectiveness of different recruitment strategies; (2) evaluate the reasons for exclusion; and (3) evaluate the barriers of participation.MethodsThis is an analysis of the costs associated with recruitment in the MetA-Bone trial, an RCT testing the effects of soluble corn fiber supplementation on bone in children 10–13 y. Recruitment methods were categorized as (1) community-based (CB): healthcare providers, schools, companies/organizations, university, mailings, and word of mouth; (2) Online: email campaigns, social media; and (3) not specified. Totals of the cost and effectiveness of each recruitment method, participants’ reasons for exclusions, and barriers to participation were calculated.ResultsPreliminary results show the total number of screened participants was 238 from February 2020–2022. Email campaigns rendered the greatest number of pre-screened participants (n = 145), followed by mailings to home (n = 20). The total cost of recruitment was $92,433 (CB = $74,170 and online = $18,264) with the highest cost being recruitment from healthcare providers ($40,180) and the lowest cost being word of mouth ($80). The most cost-effective recruitment methods were word of mouth ($5 cost per participant) and email campaigns ($85 cost per participant). The reason for most participants being excluded from participating in the study was an incomplete pre-screening form (n = 91) or a BMI > 95th percentile (n = 24). The reason for most eligible participants deciding not to enroll in the study was not specified (n = 9) or due to time commitment (n = 4).ConclusionsOnline recruitment methods are more effective in recruiting children into a clinical trial during the pandemic based on the number of participants screened and low implementation costs. Specifically, email campaigns and word of mouth are the most effective recruitment methods associated with low cost per pre-screened participant.Funding SourcesThe MetA-Bone trial is supported by the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD), grant number 1R01HD098589–01. The funding source had no involvement in the preparation of the article or the study design.

Changes in social contacts in England during the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and March 2021 as measured by the CoMix survey: A repeated cross-sectional study.

During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the United Kingdom government imposed public health policies in England to reduce social contacts in hopes of curbing virus transmission. We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study to measure contact patterns weekly from March 2020 to March 2021 to estimate the impact of these policies, covering 3 national lockdowns interspersed by periods of less restrictive policies. The repeated cross-sectional survey data were collected using online surveys of representative samples of the UK population by age and gender. Survey participants were recruited by the online market research company Ipsos MORI through internet-based banner and social media ads and email campaigns. The participant data used for this analysis are restricted to those who reported living in England. We calculated the mean daily contacts reported using a (clustered) bootstrap and fitted a censored negative binomial model to estimate age-stratified contact matrices and estimate proportional changes to the basic reproduction number under controlled conditions using the change in contacts as a scaling factor. To put the findings in perspective, we discuss contact rates recorded throughout the year in terms of previously recorded rates from the POLYMOD study social contact study. The survey recorded 101,350 observations from 19,914 participants who reported 466,710 contacts over 53 weeks. We observed changes in social contact patterns in England over time and by participants' age, personal risk factors, and perception of risk. The mean reported contacts for adults 18 to 59 years old ranged between 2.39 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.20 to 2.60) contacts and 4.93 (95% CI 4.65 to 5.19) contacts during the study period. The mean contacts for school-age children (5 to 17 years old) ranged from 3.07 (95% CI 2.89 to 3.27) to 15.11 (95% CI 13.87 to 16.41). This demonstrates a sustained decrease in social contacts compared to a mean of 11.08 (95% CI 10.54 to 11.57) contacts per participant in all age groups combined as measured by the POLYMOD social contact study in 2005 to 2006. Contacts measured during periods of lockdowns were lower than in periods of eased social restrictions. The use of face coverings outside the home has remained high since the government mandated use in some settings in July 2020. The main limitations of this analysis are the potential for selection bias, as participants are recruited through internet-based campaigns, and recall bias, in which participants may under- or overreport the number of contacts they have made. In this study, we observed that recorded contacts reduced dramatically compared to prepandemic levels (as measured in the POLYMOD study), with changes in reported contacts correlated with government interventions throughout the pandemic. Despite easing of restrictions in the summer of 2020, the mean number of reported contacts only returned to about half of that observed prepandemic at its highest recorded level. The CoMix survey provides a unique repeated cross-sectional data set for a full year in England, from the first day of the first lockdown, for use in statistical analyses and mathematical modelling of COVID-19 and other diseases.

Improved methods for recruiting Latino participants for Alzheimer’s disease research using the Brain Healthy Registry

AbstractBackgroundTraditional strategies have been largely unsuccessful in recruiting Latinos and other underrepresented groups for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) clinical research. Online registries are a promising approach to recruit hard to reach populations. This project, funded by the California Department of Public Health Alzheimer’s Disease Program, aimed to use internet advertising and culturally‐tailored messaging to enroll participants in the Brain Healthy Registry (BHR), an online registry for ADRD research.MethodsResearchers collaborated with marketing professionals experienced in marketing to Latinos. A community advisory board, comprised of professionals from different industries who identify as Latino and/or have knowledge and experience within local Latino communities, was formed to guide recruitment strategies tailored to Latinos’ values and beliefs. Custom audience targeting displayed Facebook and Google ads to Latinos living in California zip codes with large Latino populations. Recruitment strategies, including “look‐alike” audience targeting, ad retargeting, simplification of the BHR enrollment process, and revamped email campaigns to individuals that did not complete enrollment, were employed.ResultsInternet advertising from September 2020 and mid‐January 2021 resulted in email addresses from 5,095 individuals, of which 2,560 (50%) joined BHR. Seventy four percent of new participants self‐reported Latino ethnicity. Prior to this, there were only 3,761 Latino participants (out of total sample size of &gt; 70,0000) since BHR’s inception in 2014. A larger percentage of new participants also self‐reported being non‐White/Caucasian compared to previously enrolled participants (Table 1). The cost to enroll a participant recruited from these efforts ranged from approximately $35 – $80.ConclusionInternet advertising with culturally tailored recruitment messaging substantially increased representation of Latino participants in BHR during a short timeframe. Future efforts include a Spanish‐language BHR website, Spanish digital ads, and messaging to improve engagement and retention of Latino participants once they are enrolled.