title: Factors associated with recruitment and screening in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine factors associated with eligibility and randomization and consider the efficiency of recruitment methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents, ages 12 to 17 years, were telephone screened (N = 2,804) followed by in-person evaluation (N = 1,088) for the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study. Separate logistic regression models, controlling for site, examined whether sex, age, race, or source of recruitment was associated with eligibility, providing written consent, or randomization. Efficiency was calculated from the number of completed telephone screens per each enrolled participant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Older adolescents were less likely to be eligible at telephone screening (odds ratio [OR] 0.81). Regardless of race, eligible adolescents who were referred by a professional had higher odds of presenting in-person for consent (OR 1.56). African Americans had statistically lower odds of providing consent (OR 0.67), particularly if recruited by advertisement (OR 0.54). Females were more likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder (OR 1.69). No significant differences were found between randomized participants and eligible adolescents who withdrew from the study before randomization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings underscore the importance of using multiple strategies to recruit adolescents for clinical trial participation and enhancing sensitivity to cultural variations, especially when reaching out to depressed African Americans.
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5581, USA. dmay@unmc.edu
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Mary J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hallin
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kratochvil
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Puumala
authors.forename: Lynette S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reinecke
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vitiello
authors.forename: Alfiee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Breland-Noble
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: March
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018579:Patient Selection; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design