%0 Journal Article
%@ 1438-8871
%I JMIR Publications
%V 21
%N 11
%P e15869
%T Cost and Effectiveness of Using Facebook Advertising to Recruit Young Women for Research: PREFER (Contraceptive Preferences Study) Experience
%A McCarthy,Edwina
%A Mazza,Danielle
%+ Department of General Practice, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Building 1, 270 Ferntree Gully Rd, Notting Hill, Melbourne, 3168, Australia, 61 399024512, Danielle.mazza@monash.edu
%K social media
%K Facebook
%K recruitment
%K intervention study
%K patient education
%K internet
%D 2019
%7 29.11.2019
%9 Original Paper
%J J Med Internet Res
%G English
%X Background: Social media is a popular and convenient method for communicating on the Web. The most commonly used social networking website, Facebook, is increasingly being used as a tool for recruiting research participants because of its large user base and its ability to target advertisements on the basis of Facebook users’ information. Objective: We evaluated the cost and effectiveness of using Facebook to recruit young women into a Web-based intervention study (PREFER). The PREFER study aimed to determine whether an educational video could increase preference for and uptake of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Methods: We placed an advertisement on Facebook over a 19-day period from December 2017 to January 2018, inviting 16- to 25-year-old women from Australia to participate in a Web-based study about contraception. Those who clicked on the advertisement were directed to project information, and their eligibility was determined by using a screening survey. Results: Our Facebook advertisement delivered 130,129 impressions, resulting in over 2000 clicks at an overall cost of Aus $918 (Aus $0.44 per click). Web-based project information was accessed by 493 women. Of these, 462 women completed the screening survey, and 437 (437/463, 95%) women were eligible. A total of 322 young women participated in Surveys 1 and 2 (74% response rate), and 284 women participated in Survey 3 (88% retention rate), with an advertising cost of Aus $2.85 per consenting participant. Conclusions: Facebook proved to be a quick, effective, and cost-efficient tool for recruiting young Australian women into a study that was investigating contraceptive preferences. However, Web-based recruitment may result in sociodemographic biases. Further research is required to evaluate whether Facebook is suitable for recruiting older study populations. 
%M 31782738
%R 10.2196/15869
%U http://www.jmir.org/2019/11/e15869/
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/15869
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31782738