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Table 1 Recruitment plan formulation

From: Recruitment of men to a multi-centre diabetes prevention trial: an evaluation of traditional and online promotional strategies

Planning considerations

Details

Target audience

Men aged 50–74 years who were overweight or obese and living in a capital city with a participating study centre. No further restrictions were placed as other eligibility criteria were to be assessed during the screening process

Call to action

Prospective participants were invited to visit study website or call a central information line to learn more about the study and complete the pre-screening questionnaire

Content of promotional material

Content decisions were guided by qualitative research in men’s health communication preferences [32], pro-bono advice from marketing professionals, and pre-testing and ongoing feedback from study participants

Communication style:

• Frank, humorous and empathetic message [32]

• Simple, informal and easy-to-remember language

Key components of the message:

1. Identification of the problem: men aged 50–74 years and overweight/obese are at risk of diabetes, weight gain and urinary and sexual problems

2. Positioning of the study as a solution: the Testosterone for the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes (T4DM) study can support men to lose excess weight and address related health issues

3. Call to action: invitation to join the study and instructions on how to join

Promotional strategies/platforms

Promising promotional strategies were identified by review of the published literature, discussion with the study’s industry partners, brainstorming by the Steering Committee, suggestions from study participants and pro-bono advice from marketing professionals.

Strategies were first tested for a short period of time, and if they appeared effective and affordable, were adopted on an ongoing basis.