La. Lytle et al., SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES FOR SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH PROMOTION -EXPERIENCES FROM CATCH, Journal of school health, 64(10), 1994, pp. 405-409
School-based research designs in the 1990s often require that a large
number of schools be recruited to participate in studies. Therefore, e
ffective recruitment and maintenance of schools becomes an important a
ctivity for ensuring the integrity of the study design. The Child and
Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) is the largest scho
ol-based health promotion research project yet undertaken; 96 schools
(24 per field site) were successfully recruited and retained for this
cardiovascular disease risk reduction project. This article describes
general recruitment strategies used at the four CATCH sites, a descrip
tion of how Social Learning Theory guided these activities, a discussi
on of logistical considerations, and recommended recruitment strategie
s for future school-based research.