Open AccessOnline Recruitment: Feasibility, Cost, and Representativeness in a Study of Postpartum Women
Author(s) -
Liana Leach,
Peter Butterworth,
Carmel Poyser,
Philip J. Batterham,
Louise Farrer
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
jmir. journal of medical internet research/journal of medical internet research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.446
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1439-4456
pISSN - 1438-8871
DOI - 10.2196/jmir.5745
Subject(s) - representativeness heuristic , sample (material) , mental health , epidemiology , medicine , postpartum period , population , sample size determination , gerontology , psychology , family medicine , environmental health , psychiatry , pregnancy , social psychology , statistics , chemistry , mathematics , chromatography , biology , genetics
Background Online recruitment is feasible, low-cost, and can provide high-quality epidemiological data. However, little is known about the feasibility of recruiting postpartum women online, or sample representativeness. Objective The current study investigates the feasibility of recruiting a population of postpartum women online for health research and examines sample representativeness. Methods Two samples of postpartum women were compared: those recruited online as participants in a brief survey of new mothers (n=1083) and those recruited face-to-face as part of a nationally representative study (n=579). Sociodemographic, general health, and mental health characteristics were compared between the two samples. Results Obtaining a sample of postpartum women online for health research was highly efficient and low-cost. The online sample over-represented those who were younger (aged 25-29 years), were in a de facto relationship, had higher levels of education, spoke only English at home, and were first-time mothers. Members of the online sample were significantly more likely to have poor self-rated health and poor mental health than the nationally representative sample. Health differences remained after adjusting for sociodemographic differences. Conclusions Potential exists for feasible and low-cost e-epidemiological research with postpartum populations; however, researchers should consider the potential influence of sample nonrepresentativeness.