Recruiting and retaining first-year college students in online health research: Implementation considerations.

Objective: Decreasing participation in intervention research among college students has implications for the external validity of behavioral intervention research. We describe recruitment and retention strategies used to promote participation in intervention research across a series of four randomized experiments. Method: We report the recruitment and retention rates by school for each experiment and qualitative feedback from students about recommendations for improving research participation. Results: There was considerable variation among schools' recruitment (4.9% to 64.7%) and retention (12% to 67.8%) rates. Student feedback suggested study timing (e.g., early in the semester), communication strategies (e.g., social media), and incentive structure (e.g., guaranteed incentives) could improve research participation. The highest survey participation rate was observed at the university which mandated students to complete the intervention (but not the survey). Conclusions: Intervention scientists must consider the population and study context to make informed decisions related to recruitment and retention strategies.

Choices between red clover and fescue in the diet can be reliably estimated in heifers post-weaning using n-alkanes.

Measuring diet choice in grazing animals is challenging, complicating the assessment of feed efficiency in pasture-based systems. Furthermore, animals may modify their intake of a forage species depending on its nutritive value and on their own physiological status. Various fecal markers have been used to estimate feed intake in grazing animals. However, plant-wax markers such as n-alkanes (ALK) and long-chain alcohols may provide reliable estimates of both dietary choices and intakes. Still, their use in beef cattle has been relatively limited. The present study was designed to test the reliability of the ALK technique to estimate diet choices in beef heifers. Twenty-two Angus-cross heifers were evaluated at both post-weaning and yearling age. At each age, they were offered both red clover and fescue hay as cubes. Following 3-week acclimation periods, daily intake of each forage species was assessed daily for 10 days. During the final 5 days, fecal grab samples were collected twice daily. The ALK fecal concentrations were adjusted using recovery fractions compiled from literature. Diet composition was estimated using two statistical methods. Post-weaning, dietary choices were reliably estimated, with low residual error, regardless of the statistical approach adopted. The regression of observed on estimated red clover proportion ranged from 0.85±0.08 to 1.01±0.09 for fecal samples collected in the p.m. and for daily proportions once averaged, respectively. However, at yearling age, the estimates were less reliable. There was a tendency to overestimate the red clover proportion in diets of heifers preferring fescue, and vice versa. This was due to greater variability in ALK fecal concentrations in the yearling heifers. Overall, the ALK technique provided a reliable tool for estimating diet choice in animals fed a simple forage diet. Although further refinements in the application of this methodology are needed, plant-wax markers provide opportunities for evaluating diet composition in grazing systems in cattle.

Feed intake and diet selection in Angus-cross heifers of two frame sizes at two stages of growth.

Assessing feed efficiency in pasture-based systems can be challenging due to difficulties in measuring feed intake and diet preference. Furthermore, heifers may modify their intake of a particular forage species depending on its nutritive and physical attributes and on their own physiological status. For instance, heifers growing to larger mature sizes have higher maintenance requirements, which may affect their dietary preferences. The present study was designed to determine the influence of frame size (FS) on feed intake and diet selection at 2 age subclasses: postweaning, at, on average, 313 d of age (317 kg BW for larger FS and 285 kg BW for smaller FS), and as yearlings, at, on average, 403 d of age (391 kg BW for larger FS and 343 kg BW for the smaller FS). Twenty-four Angus-cross heifers were evaluated at these ages. They were housed in a drylot equipped with a Broadbent Feeding System and had ad libitum access to cubed red clover and cubed fescue hay in separate buckets. Following 3-wk acclimation periods, DMI of each forage species was assessed daily for 10 d. Body weights were also recorded daily over those 10 d. Larger and smaller FS cattle did not differ in ADG, feed conversion ratio, and Kleiber ratio at either age (P > 0.05). However, heifers from larger FS category had higher total and red clover DMI at both ages (P < 0.05) and higher proportions of red clover in their diet as yearlings (P < 0.001). Cumulative differences between clover and fescue DMI were similar at postweaning in both FS (P > 0.05); however, at yearling age, the larger FS cattle ate consistently and cumulatively more red clover (P < 0.001). The intake and diet selection of heifers across ages were not consistent for either FS category (P = 0.748), suggesting difficulties in predicting lifetime feed efficiencies based on an early measure. Although gains and feed conversion ratios were similar between FS categories, the larger FS heifers ate more. At yearling age, these heifers of larger metabolic size also selected a greater proportion of red clover in their diet. Because the FS and, thereby, BW of cattle affect intakes and diet selections, they also may impact the composition and sustainability of grasslands generally. Therefore, the relationship between FS and pasture usage likely needs to be integrated into descriptions of cow efficiency in pasture-based operations.

Personal emergency response systems.

A personal response system is a signaling device that summons help during an emergency. Although personal response systems vary widely, there are three components. The first component is the electronic hardware in the home, which consists of portable and installed sensors and the control console. The second component is the emergency response center, which is either provider-based or manufacturer-based. The third component involves the dispatch of appropriate assistance. The primary users of personal response systems are women in their seventies and eighties who live alone and who have cardiac and musculoskeletal problems, which make them prone to falls. The frequency of personal response system use varies from an average of 0.44 to 0.84 emergencies per subscriber per year. Program coordinators believe that personal response systems help to delay institutionalization, reduce admissions to hospitals, substantially shorten hospital stays, and reduce the duration of home attendant services. The most favorable impact of the personal response system has been its psychologic value to the users and their families.

Aquatic access for the disabled.

Innovations in rehabilitation engineering can now provide aquatic access for the disabled. In the regional burn center, the Bodi-Gard cart shower system (Hospital Therapy Products, Inc., Wood Dale, Ill.) uses three flexible hoses to provide precise hydrotherapy and debridement. Its main mixing valve controls temperature and pressure and is easily disinfected by an in-line chamber. This shower system is complemented by the foldable Bodi-Gard mobile seat shower system (Hospital Therapy Products, Inc.). This system, which is covered by a disposable liner, surrounds the patient with eight water jets that empty into any floor drain. The Bather 2001 (Silcraft Corp., Traverse City, Mich.) is a fiberglass hydrotherapy bathtub with a unique Aqua-Seal door (Silcraft Corp.) that can be raised to provide patient access. Its unique closed-loop disinfection system prevents contamination of its internal components. The Nolan Tublift (Aquatic Access, Louisville, Ky.) is a lightweight, removable lift that uses water power to gently raise and lower its seat. It can be manually swiveled to allow access from a wheelchair. Transfer benches span the tub wall to provide access to the shower and bathtub. Although they are a less expensive alternative to the Tublift, they allow water to spill outside the tub, which may create a slippery bathroom floor. The Nolan Poolift (Guardian Products, Arleta, Calif.) is a water-powered pool lift, which automatically rotates as it descends. It is capable of lifting up to 135 kg with a home water pressure of 55 psi. In contrast, the water-powered Aquatic Access Poolift is a less expensive pool lift, which rotates manually with assistance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)