Outcomes of Traditional, Hybrid, and Digital Recruitment in Adolescent Clinical Trial

Overview

This study evaluated recruitment strategies in the Engaging Adolescents in Decisions about Return of Genomic Research Results clinical trial, enrolling 483 adolescents and young adults. Digital recruitment accounted for the largest enrollment proportion (39.1%), but targeted hybrid methods yielded the highest inclusion of historically underrepresented groups (87.5%).

Background

Clinical trials are essential for advancing medicine but often suffer from participant samples that lack population representativeness, limiting generalizability. Historically, individuals of European descent have been overrepresented, while social determinants of health are underreported. Digital and hybrid recruitment strategies may improve inclusivity and reduce participant burden, addressing longstanding challenges in diverse trial enrollment.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Digital recruitment strategies enrolled the largest proportion of participants (39.1%).
• Targeted hybrid recruitment, combining letters and text messages, had the highest proportion of participants from historically underrepresented groups (87.5%).
• Traditional recruitment methods accounted for 34.2% of enrollment with moderate inclusion of underrepresented participants (48.5%).
• Quota sampling was used to balance enrollment by age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
• The study enrolled 483 adolescents and young adults, with 55.1% aged 13–17 and 44.9% aged 18–21.

Clinical Implications

Employing a multipronged recruitment approach that integrates traditional, hybrid, and digital methods can enhance both enrollment targets and diversity in clinical trials involving adolescents. Targeted hybrid strategies may be particularly effective in engaging populations historically underrepresented in research, thereby improving the generalizability and equity of trial findings.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that combining recruitment strategies can achieve inclusive and representative enrollment in adolescent clinical trials. Targeted hybrid recruitment methods are especially valuable for increasing participation from underrepresented groups.

References

1. Engaging Adolescents in Decisions about Return of Genomic Research Results (NCT0448106)