Recruiting men who have sex with men on craigslist.org for face-to-face assessments: Implications for research

Abstract

We adapted time-space sampling to enroll men who have sex with men (MSM) off Craigslist.org for face-to-face interviews. Men responding to our ads (n = 322) were instructed to either complete an online pre-screening survey (to determine preliminary eligibility) or call our office directly. Of those taking further initiative to enroll, 29 % (n = 41) called directly and 71 % (n = 101) opted to first complete the online survey. Participants scheduled via online pre-screening were more likely to present for their face-to-face assessment than men deemed eligible directly via phone screening (72.3 vs. 47.1 %). Online pre-screening was a useful tool to offer potential participants when recruiting on Craigslist and improved study enrollment. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York.