Recruiting adolescents into qualitative tobacco research studies: Experiences and lessons learned

An increasing barrier to the development and implementation of effective yo uth smoking prevention and cessation programs involves recruiting adolescen ts into research studies. Even for non-intervention studies, issues of cons ent, confidentiality, and motivation to participate are important considera tions. In 1996 11 Prevention Research Center sites across the country condu cted qualitative research using focus groups To explore ethnic differences in smoking among adolescents. The diversify in strategies used to interest, motivate, and retain potential focus group subjects provided a rich data s et for information about effective strategies and challenges to recruitment This article presents an overview of recruitment methods used in a multi-s ite qualitative study on adolescent tobacco use, reports on successful and less successful strategies, and provides recommendations for future recruit ment efforts.