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Reflections and Challenges of Pregnant and Postpartum Participant Recruitment in the Context of the Opioid Epidemic

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Abstract

Purpose

Opioid use disorder among women of childbearing age has reached epidemic proportions. In rural regions of the United States, recruiting perinatal women who use nonmedical opioids to participate in research is wrought with challenges, including barriers such as community stigma, lack of transportation, and time constraints. The current study describes our process and challenges of recruiting pregnant and postpartum women in rural Indiana consisting of women who misuse opioids and those who do not.

Description

We employed multiple strategies to recruit participants. Methods included (1) sampling from healthcare facilities based on referrals from front-desk staff and frontline healthcare workers; (2) dissemination of flyers and brochures within healthcare facilities and the community, supported with onsite research assistant presence; (3) digital methods coupled with snowball sampling; and (4) local community talks that provided information about the study.

Assessment

Our multiple recruitment efforts revealed that building relationships with community stakeholders was key in recruiting women who use nonmedical opioids, but that digital methods were more effective in recruiting a larger sample of pregnant and postpartum women in a short amount of time.

Conclusion

We conclude by making several recommendations to enhance academic-community partnerships in order to bolster sample sizes for prolonged research studies. Furthermore, we highlight the need to destigmatize addiction in order to better serve hard-to-reach populations through research and practice.

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Notes

  1. Prior to each stage of the modifications outlined below, the first author submitted an amendment form to IRB. Data collection did not commence until their approval was granted.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the partner institutions and study participants for dedicating their time to this study. This project was supported, in part, with support from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute funded, in part by Award Number UL1TR002529 from the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Clinical and Translational Sciences Award. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 47306, USA

    Caitlyn D. Placek

  2. Department of Nutrition and Health Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA

    Jean Marie Place

  3. Department of Anthropology, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, 40475, USA

    Jennifer Wies

Authors
  1. Caitlyn D. Placek
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  2. Jean Marie Place
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  3. Jennifer Wies
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Caitlyn D. Placek.

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This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Ball State University.

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Placek, C.D., Place, J.M. & Wies, J. Reflections and Challenges of Pregnant and Postpartum Participant Recruitment in the Context of the Opioid Epidemic. Matern Child Health J 25, 1031–1035 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-021-03143-1

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