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The Utility of Non-proportional Quota Sampling for Recruiting At-risk Women for Microbicide Research

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Abstract

In the context of a measurement development study designed to contextualize microbicide acceptability, a sample that represented a range of at-risk women and maintained the statistical power needed for validity analyses was required. A non-proportional quota sampling strategy focused on race/ethnicity and number of sexual partners was utilized. This strategy resulted in enrollment of approximately equal proportions of Latina (31%), Black (36%), and White (32%) women, and an approximately 1:2 ratio of single-partnered (29%) and multi-partnered (71%) women. About 17% of women screened were ineligible based on eligibility criteria; an additional 16% were ineligible based on quota closures. Most participants were recruited through word of mouth (39%), community-based organizations (19%), or media sources (19%). Women recruited through word of mouth had the highest screen-to-interview completion percentage (67%). Non-proportional quota sampling is a feasible option for ensuring adequate representation of sample characteristics in microbicide research, but this goal should be weighed against cost and staff burden.

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Acknowledgments

The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) Grant R01MH64455 funded this work. We would like to thank the following people for their contributions: Hilda Castillo, Allison Cohn, Michelle Gomez, Alyssa Israel, Luz Lopez, Angela Martinez, Mayra Morales, C. Teal Pedlow, and Andronike Tsamas, research staff; Lawrence Severy and Cynthia Woodsong, consultants; Susan Cu-Uvin, Kenneth H. Mayer, and Patricia Symonds, co-investigators. We would also like to thank the women who participated in the study and all the community-based organizations who collaborated with us to facilitate recruitment efforts. Anna L. Christensen is now at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Lawrence Shulman is now living in El Paso, TX, and working part-time as a researcher/consultant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital/Brown Medical School, Coro West, Suite 500 One Hoppin Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Kathleen M. Morrow

  2. Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Sara Vargas, Rochelle K. Rosen, Anna L. Christensen, Candelaria Barroso & Joseph L. Fava

  3. Fenway Community Health, The Fenway Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Liz Salomon

  4. Sociomedical Research Associates, Westport, CT, USA

    Lawrence Shulman

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  1. Kathleen M. Morrow
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  2. Sara Vargas
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  5. Liz Salomon
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Correspondence to Kathleen M. Morrow.

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Morrow, K.M., Vargas, S., Rosen, R.K. et al. The Utility of Non-proportional Quota Sampling for Recruiting At-risk Women for Microbicide Research. AIDS Behav 11, 586–595 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-007-9213-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-007-9213-z

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