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Table 1 Locations and activities involved in community recruitment

From: Lessons learned from recruiting socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers into a pilot randomized controlled trial to explore the role of Exercise Assisted Reduction then Stop (EARS) smoking

Workplace site

Recruitment activity

Local adult education and training provider

Flyers and information packs in the reception. Contact at centre informed about study and given packs to distribute.

Post Office Manual Data Entry Centre (MDEC)

Information cascaded through managers to all employees in team briefings.

Educational site

Local primary school

Article in parent newsletter with study contact details.

Parent and toddler groups; several local children’s centers

Mother and toddler groups visited. Researchers attended groups and talked with parents. Posters and packs left, or given out during groups. Collected details of interested persons.

Community site or organization

Job centre (Devonport)

Researcher outside the job centre approached smokers explaining the study; 100 packs and reply sheets given out over several periods in a week. Contact details of interested persons collected.

Local community hub cafe

Local health promotion sessions and food bank sessions attended by researchers; information given out to interested persons.

Local community cooperative organization

Flyers and posters given out to a local community employer for distribution.

YMCA (community-run gym)

Posters on display. Fitness Manager promoted study to users of the Stonehouse Gym.

Researchers attended a children’s session; one pack given out.

Local gym

Gym instructors informed about study and provided with information packs and reply sheets to distribute to interested persons.

Local social club

Central contact informed about study and provided with information packs and reply sheets.

Public health

Posters and information packs with reply sheets given to the local health club in Devonport.

Three Local Housing Associations

180 flyers distributed through mailboxes in housing association residences in Plymouth; flyers distributed and attendance at residents’ meetings. Posters, flyers, and packs left at site for visitors.

Neighborhood Managers (City Council)

Researchers met with managers in Devonport and Stonehouse. Information distributed.

Local community learning centre

Information and flyers displayed. Researchers attended information sessions. Contact details of interested persons collected.

Other

Local library

Flyers and posters on display.

Heart Radio/Plymouth Sound/Radio; local paper

Radio chat about the study and news advert in paper.

Word of mouth

First 60 trial participants asked to invite friends and/or acquaintances to join the study once they had completed the final follow-up assessment.

Individual contacts (for example, church minister, day support facility member, or publican)

Posters displayed by contacts.

Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies Service, Plymouth

Met and encouraged Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners to refer to the study opportunistically. Left flyers, information packs, and reply sheets to be distributed. Encouraged by email.

Posters displayed around local shops and businesses

Trial posters with contact details displayed in up to 50 local shops and businesses, (newsagents, hairdressers, tattoo parlors, and so on).