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Employing a Multi-level Approach to Recruit a Representative Sample of Women with Recent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus into a Randomized Lifestyle Intervention Trial

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Abstract

Objective The postpartum period is a window of opportunity for diabetes prevention in women with recent gestational diabetes (GDM), but recruitment for clinical trials during this period of life is a major challenge. Methods We adapted a social-ecologic model to develop a multi-level recruitment strategy at the macro (high or institutional level), meso (mid or provider level), and micro (individual) levels. Our goal was to recruit 100 women with recent GDM into the Balance after Baby randomized controlled trial over a 17-month period. Participants were asked to attend three in-person study visits at 6 weeks, 6, and 12 months postpartum. They were randomized into a control arm or a web-based intervention arm at the end of the baseline visit at six weeks postpartum. At the end of the recruitment period, we compared population characteristics of our enrolled subjects to the entire population of women with GDM delivering at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). Results We successfully recruited 107 of 156 (69 %) women assessed for eligibility, with the majority (92) recruited during pregnancy at a mean 30 (SD ± 5) weeks of gestation, and 15 recruited postpartum, at a mean 2 (SD ± 3) weeks postpartum. 78 subjects attended the initial baseline visit, and 75 subjects were randomized into the trial at a mean 7 (SD ± 2) weeks postpartum. The recruited subjects were similar in age and race/ethnicity to the total population of 538 GDM deliveries at BWH over the 17-month recruitment period. Conclusions Our multilevel approach allowed us to successfully meet our recruitment goal and recruit a representative sample of women with recent GDM. We believe that our most successful strategies included using a dedicated in-person recruiter, integrating recruitment into clinical flow, allowing for flexibility in recruitment, minimizing barriers to participation, and using an opt-out strategy with providers. Although the majority of women were recruited while pregnant, women recruited in the early postpartum period were more likely to present for the first study visit. Given the increased challenges of recruiting postpartum women with GDM into research studies, we believe our findings will be useful to other investigators seeking to study this population.

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Acknowledgments

The Balance after Baby study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC MM-1094-09/09), and work by the investigators was supported by an Institutional National Research Service Award #T32AT000051 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health, NIH BIRCWH K12 HD057022, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award #T32HL007609 at the National Institutes of Health and a K24 from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (9K24HL096141). No relationships disclosed. The findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, Mailstop C263, 12348 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Jacinda M. Nicklas

  2. Division of Diabetes, Hypertension and Endocrinology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jacinda M. Nicklas, Geraldine Skurnik, Liberty G. Reforma & Ellen W. Seely

  3. Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Chloe A. Zera

  4. College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Sue E. Levkoff

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  1. Jacinda M. Nicklas
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Correspondence to Jacinda M. Nicklas.

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Jacinda M. Nicklas and Geraldine Skurnik are co-first authors.

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Nicklas, J.M., Skurnik, G., Zera, C.A. et al. Employing a Multi-level Approach to Recruit a Representative Sample of Women with Recent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus into a Randomized Lifestyle Intervention Trial. Matern Child Health J 20, 261–269 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1825-8

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