Recruitment and Enrollment of a National Sample of Transgender Youth via Social Media: Experiences from Project Moxie

Abstract

This report compares social media strategies for enrolling transgender youth (TY) into online HIV prevention research. Over 12 months, 202 TY enrolled in Project Moxie, a randomized trial of an at-home HIV testing intervention. Free Craigslist advertisements showed promising success in enrolling TY, especially those of color. Paid Facebook advertising was successful in reaching a large sample of TY, as was participant referral. This supports previous literature suggesting peer referral as an effective strategy for reaching TY. High levels of attempted fraud were detected and mitigated. Findings demonstrate that recruitment and enrollment of a diverse TY sample is possible online.