Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot study
Aim: Longitudinal cohort study designs are considered the gold standard for investigating associations between environmental exposures and human health yet they are characterized by limitations including participant attrition, and the resource implications associated with cohort recruitment and foll...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Open Exploration Publishing Inc.
2024-06-01
|
| Series: | Exploration of Digital Health Technologies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A101117/101117.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849471748548853760 |
|---|---|
| author | Rogih Riad Andrawes Susan Jamuria Yousufzai Susan Sahar Mattin Susan Elliott Caroline Barakat |
| author_facet | Rogih Riad Andrawes Susan Jamuria Yousufzai Susan Sahar Mattin Susan Elliott Caroline Barakat |
| author_sort | Rogih Riad Andrawes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aim: Longitudinal cohort study designs are considered the gold standard for investigating associations between environmental exposures and human health yet they are characterized by limitations including participant attrition, and the resource implications associated with cohort recruitment and follow-up. Attrition compromises the integrity of research by threatening both the internal and external validity of empirical results, weakening the accuracy of statistical inferences and the generalizability of findings. This pilot study aimed to trace participants from a historical cohort study, the Hamilton Child Cohort Study (HCC) (n = 3,202), (1976–1986, 2003–2008) which was originally designed to examine the relative contribution of indoor and outdoor exposure to air pollution on respiratory health. Methods: Original participants were traced through social networking sites (SNS) by leveraging personal identifying data (name, age, sex, educational affiliation, and geographical locations) from the HCC entered into SNS search engines. Results: Of the original cohort (n = 3,166), 21% (n = 665) were identified as having social media presence (SMP) on a single social media platform, with 15% (n = 479) found on Facebook, 6% (n = 185) on LinkedIn, < 1% (n = 9) on Instagram, and n = 1 participant on Twitter. However, 68% (n = 2,168) of the cohort were associated with multiple SNS with the same features (matching names, ages, and locations), making conclusive identification challenging. The remaining 11% (n = 334) of the cohort had no SMP (NSMP). Statistical differences in sample characteristics of each cohort were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test. Significant differences between the SMP and NSMP cohorts were found in relation to sex (p < 0.001), and childhood neighborhood of residence (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study underscores social media’s potential for tracing participants in longitudinal studies while advising a multi-faceted approach to overcome inherent limitations and biases. A full-scale study is necessary to determine whether utilizing SNS to trace participants for longitudinal research is an effective tool for re-engaging research participants lost to attrition. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-42efb70bbf8545f3800b7212fb54ce52 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2996-9409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Open Exploration Publishing Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Exploration of Digital Health Technologies |
| spelling | doaj-art-42efb70bbf8545f3800b7212fb54ce522025-08-20T03:24:43ZengOpen Exploration Publishing Inc.Exploration of Digital Health Technologies2996-94092024-06-012314515610.37349/edht.2024.00017Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot studyRogih Riad Andrawes0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9737-4852Susan Jamuria Yousufzai1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5418-8200Susan Sahar Mattin2https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7156-1215Susan Elliott3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5514-1116Caroline Barakat4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8608-0889Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5, CanadaGeography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5, CanadaAim: Longitudinal cohort study designs are considered the gold standard for investigating associations between environmental exposures and human health yet they are characterized by limitations including participant attrition, and the resource implications associated with cohort recruitment and follow-up. Attrition compromises the integrity of research by threatening both the internal and external validity of empirical results, weakening the accuracy of statistical inferences and the generalizability of findings. This pilot study aimed to trace participants from a historical cohort study, the Hamilton Child Cohort Study (HCC) (n = 3,202), (1976–1986, 2003–2008) which was originally designed to examine the relative contribution of indoor and outdoor exposure to air pollution on respiratory health. Methods: Original participants were traced through social networking sites (SNS) by leveraging personal identifying data (name, age, sex, educational affiliation, and geographical locations) from the HCC entered into SNS search engines. Results: Of the original cohort (n = 3,166), 21% (n = 665) were identified as having social media presence (SMP) on a single social media platform, with 15% (n = 479) found on Facebook, 6% (n = 185) on LinkedIn, < 1% (n = 9) on Instagram, and n = 1 participant on Twitter. However, 68% (n = 2,168) of the cohort were associated with multiple SNS with the same features (matching names, ages, and locations), making conclusive identification challenging. The remaining 11% (n = 334) of the cohort had no SMP (NSMP). Statistical differences in sample characteristics of each cohort were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test. Significant differences between the SMP and NSMP cohorts were found in relation to sex (p < 0.001), and childhood neighborhood of residence (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study underscores social media’s potential for tracing participants in longitudinal studies while advising a multi-faceted approach to overcome inherent limitations and biases. A full-scale study is necessary to determine whether utilizing SNS to trace participants for longitudinal research is an effective tool for re-engaging research participants lost to attrition.https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A101117/101117.pdflongitudinal cohort studiestracingfollow-upsocial networking sites |
| spellingShingle | Rogih Riad Andrawes Susan Jamuria Yousufzai Susan Sahar Mattin Susan Elliott Caroline Barakat Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot study Exploration of Digital Health Technologies longitudinal cohort studies tracing follow-up social networking sites |
| title | Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot study |
| title_full | Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot study |
| title_fullStr | Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot study |
| title_short | Tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites: a pilot study |
| title_sort | tracing participants for longitudinal environmental health research using social networking sites a pilot study |
| topic | longitudinal cohort studies tracing follow-up social networking sites |
| url | https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A101117/101117.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rogihriadandrawes tracingparticipantsforlongitudinalenvironmentalhealthresearchusingsocialnetworkingsitesapilotstudy AT susanjamuriayousufzai tracingparticipantsforlongitudinalenvironmentalhealthresearchusingsocialnetworkingsitesapilotstudy AT susansaharmattin tracingparticipantsforlongitudinalenvironmentalhealthresearchusingsocialnetworkingsitesapilotstudy AT susanelliott tracingparticipantsforlongitudinalenvironmentalhealthresearchusingsocialnetworkingsitesapilotstudy AT carolinebarakat tracingparticipantsforlongitudinalenvironmentalhealthresearchusingsocialnetworkingsitesapilotstudy |