Abstract P2012: Motivational Themes in Digital Advertisements Enhance Recruitment Efficiency in Cardiovascular Trials

Abstract

Background: Recruitment for clinical trials is driven by participants’ motivations, including scientific discovery, study incentives, personal health benefits, and community contribution. Recruitment success depends on balancing initial interest with a participant’s commitment to the study topic and their eligibility. There is little data characterizing the impact of distinct motivational themes on trial recruitment. Objective: To compare the impact of four distinct motivational themes on participant interest, commitment, and eligibility for the two hypertension trials. Methods: The GoFresh trials examine how healthy groceries affect blood pressure among Black adults from Boston food priority areas. Using Facebook’s “A/B testing” feature, users 18 years and older in qualifying ZIP codes were randomly assigned to view one of four digital ad themes emphasizing: science volunteerism, study incentives, blood pressure reduction, and wellness in the Black community between November 2023 and July 2024 (Figure). We captured the number of clicks to our website according to the ad version. ‘Inquiries’ (interest) were defined as those who completed an information request form on the trial website. These individuals underwent a prescreening telephone visit and an in-person screening visit. ‘Commitment’ was based on “no-shows” (persons who scheduled an in-person visit but did not attend), while ‘Eligibility’ was based on participants who qualified for the study following the in-person visit. Results: The ads generated 28,090 clicks, 233 inquiries, 65 scheduled visits, and 23 eligible participants. As shown in the Table, the community theme generated the most clicks and inquiries per click but showed lower commitment and lower eligibility. While the blood pressure theme had the lowest interest, these participants showed the highest commitment and the highest eligibility rate. Conclusion: Beyond generating study interest, motivational themes may select for participants with varying degrees of commitment and eligibility, which could affect the cost effectiveness of recruitment and long-term retention. These findings have important implications for timely and representative recruitment for cardiovascular trials.