Navigating recruitment and retention challenges in a social media health intervention in francophone West Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID22945813
AuthorsNikolas Wianecki (Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) , 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095), Leona Ofei (Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) , 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095), Catherine M Crespi (0000-0002-6150-2181, Department of Biostatistics, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) , 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095), Deffa Wane (Reseau Africain de l’Education pour la Santé (RAES) , 18 rue Loulou, Fann-Hock Dakar, Sénégal), Rabiatou Sangare (Reseau Africain de l’Education pour la Santé (RAES) , 18 rue Loulou, Fann-Hock Dakar, Sénégal), Alexandre Rideau (Reseau Africain de l’Education pour la Santé (RAES) , 18 rue Loulou, Fann-Hock Dakar, Sénégal), Mbathio Diaw (Reseau Africain de l’Education pour la Santé (RAES) , 18 rue Loulou, Fann-Hock Dakar, Sénégal), Philip M Massey (0000-0002-0577-8618, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) , 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095)
Year2025
Volume40
Issue4
Publication date2025-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Promotion International (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0957-4824 • E-ISSN: 1460-2245
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/heapro/daaf117
PMID40709580
OpenAlexW4412654497
LanguageEN
References cited27

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) remains a concern for youth in West Africa, where access to health information and services is limited. Interventions on social media offer promising avenues for SRH promotion, but challenges related to participant recruitment, verification, and retention persist in research. This study evaluated recruitment and retention patterns in a digital SRH intervention conducted in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal from August 2023 to February 2024. A randomized factorial trial design was implemented, targeting youth aged 15–24 through Facebook advertisements featuring youth-centred visuals and participation incentives. Participants underwent a two-phase screening and verification process prior to enrolment and were randomized into four study groups. Key outcomes included attrition rates across recruitment, verification, enrolment, and survey completion stages. χ2 tests assessed demographic differences in retention. Of 7013 individuals recruited, 3803 passed initial screening, and 1412 were verified and randomized into study groups. Following drop-out during verification and attrition in the enrolment phase, 492 of the 1412 (34.8%) completed enrolment. χ2 goodness-of-fit tests indicated that gender and age distributions remained consistent across study stages, but retention varied by country, with Senegalese participants exhibiting higher completion rates than those from Côte d'Ivoire (P < .001). Privacy concerns, technical barriers, and platform-specific limitations contributed to attrition. This study highlights both the potential and challenges of SRH interventions on social media. While Facebook effectively facilitated outreach, high attrition rates underscore the need for diverse platform engagement, automated verification tools, and localized retention strategies to enhance digital health interventions in West Africa.

French · Geography · Intervention (counseling) · Political science · Social media · Sociology · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Medicine · Mobile Health and mHealth Applications · Nursing · Psychology · Social Media in Health Education

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access