TY - JOUR
T1 - Recruiting hard-to-reach populations via respondent driven sampling for mobile phone surveys in Colombia
T2 - a qualitative study
AU - Solorzano-Barrera, Camila
AU - Rodriguez-Patarroyo, Mariana
AU - Tórres-Quintero, Angélica
AU - Guzman-Tordecilla, Deivis Nicolas
AU - Franco-Rodriguez, Aixa Natalia
AU - Maniar, Vidhi
AU - Shrestha, Prakriti
AU - Vecino-Ortiz, Andrés I.
AU - Pariyo, George W.
AU - Gibson, Dustin G.
AU - Ali, Joseph
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: Uptake of mobile phone surveys (MPS) is increasing in many low- and middle-income countries, particularly within the context of data collection on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) behavioural risk factors. One barrier to collecting representative data through MPS is capturing data from older participants. Respondent driven sampling (RDS) consists of chain-referral strategies where existing study subjects recruit follow-up participants purposively based on predefined eligibility criteria. Adapting RDS strategies to MPS efforts could, theoretically, yield higher rates of participation for that age group. Objective: To investigate factors that influence the perceived acceptability of a RDS recruitment method for MPS involving people over 45 years of age living in Colombia. Methods: An MPS recruitment strategy deploying RDS techniques was piloted to increase participation of older populations. We conducted a qualitative study that drew from surveys with open and closed-ended items, semi-structured interviews for feedback, and focus group discussions to explore perceptions of the strategy and barriers to its application amongst MPS participants. Results: The strategy’s success is affected by factors such as cultural adaptation, institutional credibility and public trust, data protection, and challenges with mobile phone technology. These factors are relevant to individuals’ willingness to facilitate RDS efforts targeting hard-to-reach people. Recruitment strategies are valuable in part because hard-to-reach populations are often most accessible through their contacts within their social network who can serve as trust liaisons and drive engagement. Conclusions: These findings may inform future studies where similar interventions are being considered to improve access to mobile phone-based data collection amongst hard-to-reach groups.
AB - Background: Uptake of mobile phone surveys (MPS) is increasing in many low- and middle-income countries, particularly within the context of data collection on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) behavioural risk factors. One barrier to collecting representative data through MPS is capturing data from older participants. Respondent driven sampling (RDS) consists of chain-referral strategies where existing study subjects recruit follow-up participants purposively based on predefined eligibility criteria. Adapting RDS strategies to MPS efforts could, theoretically, yield higher rates of participation for that age group. Objective: To investigate factors that influence the perceived acceptability of a RDS recruitment method for MPS involving people over 45 years of age living in Colombia. Methods: An MPS recruitment strategy deploying RDS techniques was piloted to increase participation of older populations. We conducted a qualitative study that drew from surveys with open and closed-ended items, semi-structured interviews for feedback, and focus group discussions to explore perceptions of the strategy and barriers to its application amongst MPS participants. Results: The strategy’s success is affected by factors such as cultural adaptation, institutional credibility and public trust, data protection, and challenges with mobile phone technology. These factors are relevant to individuals’ willingness to facilitate RDS efforts targeting hard-to-reach people. Recruitment strategies are valuable in part because hard-to-reach populations are often most accessible through their contacts within their social network who can serve as trust liaisons and drive engagement. Conclusions: These findings may inform future studies where similar interventions are being considered to improve access to mobile phone-based data collection amongst hard-to-reach groups.
KW - Mobile phone surveys
KW - hard-to-reach population
KW - inclusion
KW - mhealth
KW - noncommunicable diseases
KW - older adults
KW - respondent driven sampling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85182101411&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/16549716.2023.2297886
DO - 10.1080/16549716.2023.2297886
M3 - Article
C2 - 38205794
AN - SCOPUS:85182101411
SN - 1654-9880
VL - 17
JO - Global Health Action
JF - Global Health Action
IS - 1
M1 - 2297886
ER -