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Recruiting and enrolling pregnant adolescents for research.

Kaiser MM, Hays BJ

Medical Center College of Nursing, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska 68198-5330, USA. mkaiser@unmc.edu

Difficulty obtaining a sample is not justification for failure to study a hard-to-enroll population, particularly a vulnerable population such as pregnant adolescents. Recruitment of a representative, adequate sample of pregnant adolescents for a recent instrument development study provided multiple challenges. Although carefully developed, the sampling plan required several modifications to achieve the sample (n=145). Those challenges and the ensuing modifications to the sampling plan are discussed in relation to (a) access/institutional concerns, (b) the human subject's protection considerations, and (c) developmental/personal concerns of the pregnant adolescents. Recommendations for sampling strategies for future research are offered.

Published 15 March 2006 in Issues Compr Pediatr Nurs, 29(1): 45-52.
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