title: Marketing the 'Sex Check': evaluating recruitment strategies for a telephone-based HIV prevention project for gay and bisexual men.
abstract: Designing effective marketing and recruitment strategies for HIV prevention research requires attention to cultural relevance, logistical barriers, and perceived psychosocial barriers to accessing services. McGuire's communication/persuasion matrix (1985) guided our evaluation, with particular attention to success of each marketing "channel" (i.e., strategy) vis-à-vis the number of all callers, eligible callers, and enrolled callers, as well as reaching so-called "hard-to-serve" individuals. Nearly all channels offered success in reaching specific subgroups. Latinos responded favorably to posters, bisexuals responded favorably to paid media in an alternative (non-gay) publication, and precontemplators responded to referrals by family and friends. Although multiple recruitment strategies were used, three were crucial to the success of the project: (a) recruiters' presence in gay venues, (b) referrals by family and friends (snowball technique), and (c) paid advertisements in alternative (non-gay) local newspapers. Resource allocation and costs are also presented for each channel.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, 98105, USA.
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Picciano
authors.forename: Roger A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Roffman
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: Seth C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kalichman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009042:Motivation; D018579:Patient Selection; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012309:Risk-Taking; D021841:Safe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology