Effective recruitment and retention strategies in community health programs
Jennifer McCann A B , Nicola D. Ridgers A , Alison Carver A , Lukar E. Thornton A and Megan Teychenne A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Vic. 3125, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: j.mccann@deakin.edu.au
Health Promotion Journal of Australia 24(2) 104-110 https://doi.org/10.1071/HE13042
Submitted: 23 May 2013 Accepted: 25 August 2013 Published: 30 October 2013
Abstract
Issue addressed: The aim of this project was to identify effective recruitment and retention strategies used by health-promotion organisations that focus on increasing physical activity and improving nutrition within the local community.
Methods: Semistructured telephone or face-to-face interviews with 25 key informants from stakeholder organisations were conducted. Key informants discussed strategies used by their organisation to effectively recruit and retain participants into community-based healthy eating and/or physical activity programs. Transcribed data were analysed with NVivo software.
Results: Effective recruitment strategies included word of mouth, links with organisations, dissemination of printed materials, media, referrals, cross-promotion of programs and face-to-face methods. Effective retention strategies included encouraging a sense of community ownership, social opportunities, recruiting a suitable leader and offering flexibility and support. Fees and support for recruiting and retaining participants was also identified.
Conclusion: This study provides novel insights to a greatly under researched topic in the field of health promotion. There are two key take-home messages from the present study that are applicable to health practitioners as well as developers and deliverers of community health-promotion programs: (1) it is imperative that all community health organisations report on the effectiveness of their recruitment and retention, both successes and failures; and (2) there is a clear need to tailor the recruitment and retention approach to the target population and the setting the program is occurring in.
So what?: These findings provide important insights for the development of future community-based healthy eating and physical activity programs.
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