How to motivate participation in HES?

EHES Training Material

The purpose of recruitment

• The goal is to achieve as high participation as possible• Ensure that the sample represents the target population• Challenging, but necessary for reliable results

• The recruitment process depends on:• National legislation• Survey budget• Cultural norms• Ethical acceptance

Invitation should be motivating

• Invitation by a letter• Information leaflet with the invitation to raise interest• Phone call may follow the invitation letter

• Important to pay attention to all written materials• Invitation letter: informative, convincing and professional • Information leaflet: interesting (use colors and pictures),

relevant and concise

• Re-invitations should be made, if the person is not reached by the first invitation• Second invitation letter, phone calls, home visits (if

feasible)

What motivates participation?

• Importance and relevance of the survey • For public health and for the participant

• Receiving personal benefits:• New information on health and health risks• Incentives (voucher, cash or gift) or

compensation for travel costs• Requests for help

• Social responsibility• Statements of confidentiality• Using all relevant languages

• Helps recruiting also ethnic minorities

Practical matters and motivation

• Flexibility in scheduling appointment• Availability of evening and weekend appointment times• Possibility to drop in (without appointment)

• Duration of the examination visit • Not too extensive

• Location for the examination• Parking space• Access with public transportation• Distance

• Home visits• Additional option for e.g. people who are unable or

unwilling to participate otherwise

Survey personnel

• Competent and motivated survey personnel play an important role in recruitment • Follow survey protocol • Understand the importance of high participation rate• Be ready to give answers to frequently asked

questions and to motivate participants• Be flexible and act in a professional and polite way

Actions for increasing awareness and motivation

• Promotion of the survey through media• Raising general awareness of the survey

• Reaching and motivating selected

persons • National media campaigns• Local media campaigns before fieldwork • Interviews in radio and TV • Newspapers• Posters and leaflets • Pre-notification before invitation• Survey website, social media

Improving participation through co-operation

• Provide information about the survey to:• National and local health authorities and

health professionals • Local government • Other places that are important for the

community

• Cooperate with • Regional or local hospitals, GP offices, health

centres • Non-governmental organizations• Research centers and universities

Actions increasing participation during fieldwork

• Personal contact is more effective• Phone call• Home visit

• Appointment reminder (e.g. day before the appointment)• Text message or e-mail • Phone call

• Multiple contact attempts

Motivating participants during fieldwork

• Possibility to ask questions and to reschedule appointments• Contact persons should be easy to reach

• At the examination site:• Comfortable facilities and fluent examinations

with short waiting times• Offering breakfast or snack between or after

examination• Friendly atmosphere among survey personnel

and towards participants• Encouraging feedback on measurements

After the examination

• Participants need to feel appreciated• Participants expect feedback on

personal results

Acknowledgements• Slides

• Sanna Ahonen, Päivikki Koponen, Hanna Tolonen• Photographs

• Hanna Tolonen and photo bank images