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Recruitment and retention strategies and methods in the HEALTHY study

International Journal of Obesity volume 33, pages S21–S28 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

HEALTHY was a 3-year middle school-based primary prevention trial to reduce modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes in youth. The study was conducted at seven centers across the country. This paper describes the recruitment and retention activities employed in the study. Schools and students were the focus of recruitment and retention. Each center was responsible for the recruitment of six schools; eligibility was based on ability to enroll a sufficient number of predominately minority and lower socioeconomic status students. Study staff met with district superintendents and school principals to verify the eligibility of schools, and to ascertain how appropriate the school would be for conducting the trial. Sixth grade students were recruited employing a variety of techniques; students and their parents did not know whether their school was randomized to the intervention or control arm. This cohort was followed through sixth, seventh and eighth grades. In the eighth grade, an additional sample of students who were not originally enrolled in the study was recruited in a similar manner to participate in data collection to allow for cross-sectional and dose-response secondary analyses. Parents signed informed consent forms and children signed informed assent forms, as per the needs of the local Institutional Review Board. Parents received a letter describing the results of the health screening for their children after data collection in sixth and eighth grades. Retention of schools and students was critical for the success of the study and was encouraged through the use of financial incentives and other strategies. To a large extent, student withdrawal due to out-migration (transfer and geographical relocation) was beyond the ability of the study to control. A multi-level approach that proactively addressed school and parent concerns was crucial for the success of recruitment and retention in the HEALTHY study.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the past and present investigators on the Recruitment & Retention Committee who were Joanne Harrell (chair), Lisa Bouchard, Barbara Curlee, Mackenzie Dobbins, Kimberly Drews, Debby Ford, Linn Goldberg, Katie Hindes, Ann Jessup, Francine Kaufman, Barbara Linder, Sara Mazzuto, Joan Nachmani, Jean-Baptiste Roullet, Debbe Thompson, Alissa Wheeler, Tara Wilson and Zenong Yin. We certify that all applicable institutional and governmental regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biostatistics Center, George Washington University, Rockville, MD, USA

    K L Drews & S L Mazzuto

  2. School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    J S Harrell & A N Jessup

  3. USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    D Thompson

  4. Center for Obesity Research & Education, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    E G Ford

  5. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    M Carter

  6. Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

    D A Ford

  7. Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Z Yin

  8. Division of Metabolism, CDRC-P, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    J-B Roullet

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  1. K L Drews
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Correspondence to K L Drews.

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Drews, K., Harrell, J., Thompson, D. et al. Recruitment and retention strategies and methods in the HEALTHY study. Int J Obes 33 (Suppl 4), S21–S28 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2009.113

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