title: Recruitment challenges and recommendations for adolescent obesity trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report our experiences with recruiting overweight and obese 13- to 16-year-olds for the Loozit® weight management randomised control trial (RCT) and to identify effective strategies for recruiting adolescents from the community to a treatment trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Loozit RCT is a two-arm, community-based, lifestyle intervention that aims to evaluate the effect of additional therapeutic contact provided via telephone coaching and electronic communications as an adjunct to the Loozit group programme. Strategic areas that were targeted to recruit adolescents included media, schools, health professionals and community organisations. The programme aimed to recruit a cohort of 12-16 adolescents (body mass index z-score range 1.0-2.5) aged 13-16 years every 3 months over 3 years. Information regarding recruitment and eligibility to participate was initially assessed during a telephone screen. The relative cost effectiveness of recruitment strategies was determined based on recruitment rates and costs including administrative costs and research assistant time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 474 enquiries, 32% resulted in an enrollment to the RCT. Newspaper articles and school newsletters accounted for nearly 60% of enquiries and enrollments and were the most cost-effective recruitment strategies. Common reasons for ineligibility for inclusion in the RCT were adolescents being too young (21%) and parents consenting but adolescents refusing to participate (17%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most successful recruitment strategies for the Loozit RCT were local newspapers and school newsletters. Future studies should consider involving a Public Relations department and other potentially cost-effective strategies such as peer recruitment.
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney Clinical School, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia. Thanhn@chw.edu.au
authors.forename: Binh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Kristy A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McGregor
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Vanessa A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Shrewsbury
authors.forename: Anthea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Katharine S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Steinbeck
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Smita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kohn
authors.forename: Louise A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D018579:Patient Selection; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior