scholarly journals Recruitment of Participants for a 3D Virtual Supermarket: Cross-sectional Observational Study

10.2196/19234 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e19234
Author(s):  
Jody C Hoenink ◽  
Joreintje D Mackenbach ◽  
Laura Nynke van der Laan ◽  
Jeroen Lakerveld ◽  
Wilma Waterlander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
Time Investment ◽  
Study Team

Background Virtual supermarkets offer a practical and affordable setting to test the efficacy of different pricing and nudging strategies before they are implemented in the real world. Despite the advantages of using virtual supermarkets for this purpose, conducting studies in online settings is challenging with regard to recruitment and retention of sufficient and suitable participants. Objective To describe cost, time, and retention with regard to participants recruited using various strategies and potential sociodemographic differences between participants recruited via different strategies. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from a randomized controlled trial in which 455 Dutch adults with low and high educational levels were invited to shop 5 times in a 3D virtual supermarket. Participants were recruited via social media and flyers. A log that tracked the costs of and time spent on the different recruitment strategies was kept by the study team. Outcome measures included the cost of recruitment strategies, the time investment by researchers, and recruitment and attrition rates of participants in the study. Results The median age of study completers was 31.0 (IQR 25.0) and 157 out of 346 study completers (45.4%) were highly educated. Out of the 455 included participants, 235 (51.6%) were recruited via social media campaigns, 131 (28.8%) via home-delivered flyers, 38 (8.4%) via flyers directly distributed by the study team, and 46 (10.1%) via word-of-mouth. Of all paid recruitment strategies, social media campaigns were the cheapest and least time-consuming, whereas the distribution of flyers by the study team was the most expensive and time-consuming recruitment strategy. Age, sex, overweight status, employment situation, and number of adults within the household varied by recruitment strategy. Conclusions Using different recruitment strategies resulted in the efficient recruitment of a representative study sample and retention of participants was relatively high. While “word-of-mouth” was the most cost- and time-effective recruitment strategy, using only one type of recruitment strategy could result in a demographically skewed study population.

scholarly journals Recruitment of participants and participant’s appreciation of a virtual supermarket testing pricing and nudging strategies: A feasibility study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody Chantal Hoenink ◽  
Joreintje D. Mackenbach ◽  
Nynke van der Laan ◽  
Jeroen Lakerveld ◽  
Wilma Waterlander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Real World ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
High Educational Level ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
Study Team

BACKGROUND Virtual supermarkets offer a practical and affordable means to test the efficacy of different pricing and nudging strategies before they are implemented in real-world settings. Despite the advantages of using virtual supermarkets, conducting studies an online settings have the disadvantage of participants being more difficult to recruit and retain. OBJECTIVE To describe the costs, feasibility and results of several recruitment strategies and participants’ appreciation and usability of the Supreme Nudge Virtual Supermarket (SN VirtuMart). METHODS This cross sectional study used data from a randomized controlled trial where 455 Dutch adults with low or high educational level were asked to conduct five shops within a three-dimensional virtual supermarket. The SN VirtuMart, developed in 2018, resembled a Dutch supermarket containing almost 1200 unique food and beverage products. Participants were asked to conduct five shops in the SN VirtuMart and complete questionnaires on demographics, food purchasing habits and feedback on the SN VirtuMart. A log to track the costs of the different recruitment strategies was kept by the study team. Outcome measures included the cost of recruitment strategies, recruitment and attrition rates, and appreciation and usability of the SN VirtuMart. RESULTS In total, 346 participants completed the study (completion rate: 74%). The median age was 31.0 (IQR: 25.0) and 45.4% were highly educated. N=235 (52%) were recruited via social media campaigns, N=131 (29%) via home-delivered flyers, N=38 (8%) via flyers received from the study team and N=46 (10%) via word-of-mouth. Out of all paid recruitment strategies, social media campaigns were the cheapest and flyers received from the study team was the most expensive recruitment strategy. Participant demographics varied by recruitment strategy. Most participants found the SN VirtuMart easy to use (90.8%) and found that their purchases resembled those made in real life (78.2%). CONCLUSIONS Using different recruitment strategies resulted in an efficient recruitment of a representative study sample and retention of participants was relatively high. The SN VirtuMart was generally appreciated by the participants. It thus seems feasible to use the SN VirtuMart to test the efficacy of different pricing and nudging strategies before they are implemented in real-world settings. CLINICALTRIAL The trial conducted in the SN VirtuMart was registered in the Dutch trial registry (www.trialregister.nl) under report number NTR7293.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitude, and perception of University students toward COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. e148
Author(s):  
Hina Gul ◽  
Aasha Ijaz ◽  
Atiqa Khalid ◽  
Tabinda Khan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Suspected Case ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Rapid Spread

Background: An increasing rate of COVID-19 cases throughout the world has increased the need to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) of university students toward the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent its rapid spread as public cooperation and awareness regarding prevention is the only way to deal with this pandemic. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Pakistan in April 2020. Data was collected by Google statistics and percent reliability was calculated through SPSS. Results: The number of respondents n=678, out of which 443(65.2%) were female and 235(34.85%) were male. The perception of students regarding this disease is shown in a table in which 33.2% of students consider it very dangerous. 54.2% thought it moderately dangerous. 62.38% of students consider muscle pain and 73.59% of students consider throat pain as a clinical presentation of COVID-19. 80.7% of students thought that exposure to a suspected case of COVID-19 serves as a means of acquiring COVID-19 infection. The most effective measure of prevention comes out to be hand washing and covering face during coughing and sneezing. The main cause of the spread is a lack of public awareness and cooperation. Social media campaigns are an effective means of educating students about quarantine and controlling its rapid spread. Conclusion: Researchers concluded that It’s the need of the hour to increase awareness related to protective hygienic measures, rapid spread, and providing reliable approaches through social media campaigns to manage this pandemic. We believe that students should be involved in educating their surrounding society.

COVID-19: knowledge, awareness and perceived stress among Jordanian healthcare providers (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emad Aborajooh ◽  
Mohammed Qussay Al-Sabbagh ◽  
Baraa Mafrachi ◽  
Muhammad Yassin ◽  
Rami Dwairi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Psychological Stress ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Source Of Information

UNSTRUCTURED We aimed to measure levels of knowledge, awareness, and stress about COVID-19 among health care providers (HCP) in Jordan. This was a cross-sectional study on 397 HCPs that utilized an internet-based questionnaire to evaluate knowledge about COVID-19, availability of personal protective equipment (PEE), future perception, and psychological distress. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with knowledge and psychological stress. Overall, 24.4% and 21.2% of the participants showed excellent knowledge and poor knowledge, respectively. Social media (61.7%) was the most commonly used source of information. Being female (β= 0.521, 95% CI 0.049 to 0.992), physician (β=1.421, 95% CI 0.849 to 1.992), or using literature to gain knowledge (β= 1.161, 95% CI 0.657 to 1.664) were positive predictors of higher knowledge. While having higher stress (β= -0.854, 95% CI -1.488 to -0.221) and using social media (β= -0.434, 95% CI -0.865 to -0.003) or conventional media (β= -0.884, 95% CI -1.358 to -0.409) for information were negative predictors of knowledge levels. HCPs are advised to use the literature as a source of information about the virus, its transmission, and the best practice. PPEs should be secured for HCPs to the psychological stress associated with treating COVID-19 patients.

Prescription in Locker Box (PILBOX): Remodeling of the Medication Collection Process (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lim Jit Fan Christina ◽  
Goh Boon Kwang ◽  
Chee Wing Ling Vivian ◽  
Tang Woh Peng ◽  
Goh Qiuling Bandy
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Prescription Medications ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Ranking Score ◽  
Study Team ◽  
Willingness To Use

BACKGROUND Traditionally, patients wishing to obtain their prescription medications have had to present themselves physically at pharmacy counters and collect their medications via face-to-face interactions with pharmacy staff. Prescription in Locker Box (PILBOX) is a new innovation which allows patients and their caregivers to collect their medication asynchronously, 24/7 at their convenience, from medication lockers instead of from pharmacy staff and at any time convenient to them instead of being restricted to pharmacy operating hours. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the willingness by patients/caregivers to use this new innovation and factors that affect their willingness. METHODS This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted over 2 months at 2 public primary healthcare centres in Singapore. Patients or caregivers who were at least 21 yo and turned up at the pharmacies to collect medications were administered a self-developed 3-part questionnaire face-to-face by trained study team members, if they gave their consent to participate in the study. RESULTS A total of 222 participants completed the study. About 40% of them participants were willing to use the PILBOX to collect their medications. Amongst the participants who were keen to use the PILBOX service, slightly more than half (i.e. 52.8%) of them were willing to pay for the PILBOX service. The participants felt that the ease of use (3.46±1.21 i.e. mean of ranking score ± standard deviation) of the PILBOX was the most important factor that would affect their willingness to use the medication pick up service. This was followed by “waiting time” (3.37±1.33), cost of using the medication pick up service (2.96±1.44) and 24/7 accessibility (2.62±1.35). This study also found that age (p=0.006), language literacy (p=0.000), education level (p=0.000), working status (p=0.011) and personal monthly income (p=0.009) were factors that affected the willingness of the patients or caregivers to use the PILBOX. CONCLUSIONS Patients and caregivers are keen to use PILBOX to collect their medications for its convenience and the opportunity to save time, if it is easy to use and not costly.

Instagramming our way through public health communication: why and who is using it?

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Vareda ◽  
T Garcia ◽  
J Rachadell
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Healthy Lifestyles ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases

Abstract Background From disease prevention to health promotion, communication is key for Public Health (PH) practice and, according to the 9th Essential Public Health Operation its goal is to improve populations health literacy and capacity to access, understand and use information. Though social media is frequently presented as a potentially useful tool for PH communication, there is a lack of evidence about its effectiveness and impact on PH outcomes. This study researches Instagram® as a PH tool and aims to know who is using it, what content is shared on the platform and how much engagement there is. Methods This cross-sectional study regards information on 1000 Instagram® posts with the hashtags publichealth, publichealthpromotion, healthpromotion, publichealthmatters and publichealtheducation. Authors categorized post content and creators, and reviewed the number of likes and comments per post to determine engagement. Data analysis was performed on IBM SPSS® Statistics. Results The most common content categories were communicable diseases (n = 383), non-communicable diseases (n = 258) and healthy lifestyles (n = 143). Health professionals post more about communicable diseases (43,6%) and non-professionals about healthy lifestyles (36,1%). Non-professionals (n = 191) post about PH issues almost as much as health professionals (n = 220) and PH associations (n = 201). Most don't reference their sources (n = 821). Posts on communicable diseases have the most likes and comments per post (mean of 172 likes and 3,1 comments). Conclusions Half the Instagram® posts analysed in this study were made by health professionals or organizations. Communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and healthy lifestyles were the most frequent content categories and had the most engagement. The majority of posts didn't reference their sources. Though Instagram® seems to be a potential PH communication tool, further research is needed to confirm its benefits for PH. Key messages Social media platforms like Instagram® are potentially powerful tools for PH communication. There is a need to understand the efficacy of social media as health promotion tools.

OHNS Residency Program and Applicant Social Media Presence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 000348942098797
Author(s):  
Shadi Ahmadmehrabi ◽  
Deborah X. Xie ◽  
Bryan K. Ward ◽  
Paul C. Bryson ◽  
Patrick Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Residency Programs ◽  
Social Media Presence ◽  
Residency Application ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Residency Match

Objectives: In addition to clinical and social disruption, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many aspects of the otolaryngology residency application process. With delays in the 2021 Electronic Residency Applications Service (ERAS) timeline, students and programs have had more time to interact prior to the formal application process. This communication will report recent trends in social media presence by OHNS residency programs, and discuss mechanisms to compensate for decreased applicant-program interactions using social media ahead of the 2021 Match. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of the accredited otolaryngology residency programs in the United States, the number of social media profiles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook from 2009 to 2019 were recorded and compared. Results: Most programs (61%) have at least 1 social media profile. Over the past 10 years, the number of programs on social media has increased. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter and Instagram showed higher rates of growth compared to Facebook. With the reduction of in-person opportunities for interactions, both applicants and programs are utilizing social media to showcase their values and their research. Twitter, in particular, also serves as a platform for professional networking. Conclusion: Both Twitter and Instagram are growing in popularity among programs and applicants to enhance networking. Social media is a powerful tool for networking and may help compensate for limitations imposed on the residency match process by the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining professionalism considerations. The impact of social media on the 2021 otolaryngology residency match is an evolving phenomenon.

Strategies for improving recruitment of pregnant women to clinical research: An evaluation of social media versus traditional offline methods in Vancouver, Canada (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey M Cochrane ◽  
Jennifer A Hutcheon ◽  
Crystal D Karakochuk
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Conversion Rate ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
Total N ◽  
Cost Rate ◽  
Time Of Year

BACKGROUND Social media is an effective alternative to offline methods for participant recruitment to research. However, the effectiveness of social media compared with offline strategies among pregnant women is unclear. Further, it is unclear whether recruitment strategy alters demographic characteristics of participants. OBJECTIVE We aimed to estimate recruitment rates from social media and offline methods and to explore the whether participant demographics differed according to recruitment strategy in a clinical nutrition trial that recruited 60 healthy pregnant women in Vancouver, Canada. METHODS Facebook was used to run 9 social media campaigns, 10-18 days each (15-weeks total) and costing $50-$100 CAD ($675 CAD total). Offline methods were used concurrently over 64-weeks. A total of $300 CAD was spent on printing. Demographic characteristics of those recruited via each method was compared using bivariate statistics. Cost, rate of recruitment and conversion rate in each group was calculated. Performance metrics of social media campaigns, including reach, impressions, clicks, inquiries, and enrollments, were recorded. Linear regression was used to explore the association between metrics and dollars spent per campaign. RESULTS In total, n=481 inquiries were received (n=51 [11%] via offline methods; n=430 [89%] via social media). Enrollees (n=60) included n=24 (40%) and n=36 (60%) via offline and social media methods, respectively. Gestational weeks was provided by n=251 women (52%) upon inquiry (mean ± SD gestational weeks was 13.3 ± 4.7 and 13.2 ± 5.6 in the offline and social media groups, respectively, P=.96). There were no statistically significant differences in age (33 ± 3.2 and 33 ± 3.6, P=.67), ethnicity (58% and 56% Caucasian, P=.97), education (88% and 78% had University-level education, P=.64), household income (58% and 47% >$100,000 CAD/year, P=.26), pre-pregnancy BMI (22.2 ± 2.6 and 23.4 ± 2.8, P=.11), or parity (75% and 72% nulliparous, P=.81); results are presented for offline and social media, respectively. Direct cost/enrollee was $13 and $19 in those who were recruited via offline and social media methods, respectively (however, this does not include cost of labour). Rate of recruitment was ~6x faster via social media than offline methods, however, the conversion rate was higher via offline methods than social media (47% versus 8%). Overall, campaign metrics (reach, impressions, clicks, and inquiries) improved over time. Amount spent per campaign (controlling for campaign duration) was significantly associated with improved clicks (P=.01), and inquiries (P=.04), but not enrollments (P=.19). CONCLUSIONS Social media was more efficient and effective for recruitment of pregnant women than offline methods. We gained numerous insights for optimization of social media campaigns (dollars spent, attribution setting, photo testing, automatic optimization) to increase clicks and inquiries, however this does not necessarily increase enrollments, which was more dependent on study specific factors (e.g. time of year, study design, and intervention). CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04022135). Registered on July-14-2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04022135

Factors Associated with Coping Strategies among Primigravida Pregnant Women in Jakarta

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 269-275
Author(s):  
Vivi Silawati ◽  
Afrizal ◽  
Nursyirwan Effendi ◽  
Masrul ◽  
Retno Widowati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Coping Ability ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

Stress in women, before and during pregnancy, may result in a negative impact on the mother and fetus. In Indonesia, the anxiety rate in primigravida pregnant women when facing labor is higher than multigravida. Every pregnant woman makes an attempt to overcome or manage stress in her pregnancy in order to adapt and cope with stress. To find out the coping ability, pregnant women should find the source of stress prior to labor. This study was conducted to determine the direct and indirect factors affecting the coping ability in primigravida pregnant women. The study used a cross sectional study method through PLS analysis. The study population consisted of primigravida pregnant women, and a sample of 200 of them was taken. The measurement results of Path Coefficients and TStatistics on the influence of variables in the structural model and overall variables showed a positive and significant effect. The T statistic value of all variables was above the critical value (1.96). The results of the PLS test indicated that the empowerment and social support variables, directly and indirectly, influenced the coping abilities. Trust, personality, lifestyle, perceptions, and attitudes had impacts directly on the coping abilities. The percentage of the direct and indirect influence between variables was 97.92%. Empowerment, social support, personality, lifestyle, perceptions, and attitudes variables had an influence on the coping abilities of primigravida pregnant women. A controlled trial study should be done to see the impact of this model on reducing the risks during pregnancy.

scholarly journals Opinion of Healthcare Professionals in the Usage of Social Media for Patient Care in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Syed Meraj Ahmed ◽  
Faisal Alhumaidi Alruways ◽  
Thamer Fahad Alsallum ◽  
Meshal Munahi Almutairi ◽  
Abdullah Saif Al-Subhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Use Of Social Media

<span lang="EN-US">Use of social media for patient care is the new frontier in the healthcare indus-try. Sharing of information between the clinicians and their patients is now so much easier. In slowly gaining a foothold worldwide it needs a healthy push to make it universally accepta-ble. Study the knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare providers on the usage of social media in their clinical practice.</span><span lang="EN-US">A baseline cross – sectional study was conducted among 200 healthcare professionals from March 2015 to September 2015 on their knowledge, attitude, and practices in the use of social media for patient care in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia. A close ended self – administered validated questionnaire was used to gather data which was analyzed by using the SPSS ver. 21.0 software. 55.3% participants used social media for both professional and personal reasons. Some (25.3%) specified using it for patient care while a significant majority (52.9%) opined that it can be successfully used for patient interaction. Nearly 55% agreed that social media should not be banned due to its benefits as an efficient tool for patient communication. </span><span>S</span><span lang="EN-US">ocial media use for pa-tient doctor interaction should be encouraged to improve patient care through effective com-munication.</span>

scholarly journals Attitudes of Health Professional Educators Toward the Use of Social Media as a Teaching Tool: Global Cross-Sectional Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karan D'Souza ◽  
Lucy Henningham ◽  
Runyu Zou ◽  
Jessica Huang ◽  
Elizabeth O'Sullivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Teaching Tool ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Professional Educators ◽  
Use Of Social Media
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