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. 2012 Sep;45(6):812-5.
doi: 10.1002/eat.22010. Epub 2012 Mar 12.

Recruitment and retention in an adolescent anorexia nervosa treatment trial

Lisa Brownstone  1 , Kristen Anderson, Judy Beenhakker, James Lock, Daniel Le Grange
Affiliations

Recruitment and retention in an adolescent anorexia nervosa treatment trial

Lisa Brownstone et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate recruitment and retention for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN), as prior studies suggest that these are significant hurdles to completing meaningful RCTs in this population.

Method: Retrospective analyses of recruitment and retention rates were conducted for a multisite RCT of family-based treatment (FBT) versus adolescent-focused therapy (AFT) recruiting adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age with AN.

Results: Adolescent participants were recruited from a variety of both medical and nonmedical sources. Recruitment goals were met in time (October 2004-March 2007). Percent retention rates were high across both treatment types (84% for FBT and 92% for AFT), and these rates did not differ significantly.

Discussion: These results reveal that recruitment and retention of adolescent patients with AN to RCTs are feasible in contrast to the experience in adult studies. It is likely that characteristics of our clinical programs make recruitment easier than in other settings, e.g., child and adolescent focused, specialized eating disorders program with an emphasis on outpatient treatment, recognized leaders in the field, and a history of clinical excellence with this population.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Randomizations across time as compared to projected number of randomizations required each month.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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