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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Julie R. Bromberg, MPH, Amanda M. Adams, BA, Lynne M. Palmisciano, MD, James G. Linakis, MD, PhD, Michael J. Mello, MD, MPH, and Ted D. Nirenberg, PhD. Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, 110 Lockwood Street, Suite 334, Providence, RI 02903, 401-444-8403, jbromberg@lifespan.org

SIGNIFICANCE Written parental consent is often required for low-risk school-based interventions. However, obtaining written parental consent can be a burdensome and time consuming process for researchers, schools and parents. Similarly, this process can become more lengthy and involved than the intervention itself. It is necessary to test alternative methods to conducting school-based evaluations that permit a streamlined consent process.

METHODOLOGY Ninth grade students participating in school-based substance abuse prevention programs were recruited to complete a battery of health behavior surveys at baseline and six weeks follow up.

Due to the complexity of the parental informed consent process, recruitment in year one was low. Consequently, researchers developed a standardized technique for year two participants to generate a unique, anonymous code instead of collecting identifying information to follow participants. Participants did not share their selected codes with the researchers. Therefore, documented consent/assent were not required since these forms would be the only existing documentation that could link participants to the research. Instead, a letter was sent to families of participants explaining the research project, the participant's rights as a research participant and providing the option to not participate.

FINDINGS At baseline, 100% of potential participants (n=165) agreed to participate as compared to a 33% recruitment rate when utilizing written parental consents in year one. At six weeks follow up, researchers were able to successfully follow and match 89% of participants.

CONCLUSIONS The creation of unique, anonymous codes is an effective method to follow adolescent research participants while allowing them to remain unidentified.

Learning Objectives: