Project

Using Facebook to Recruit Parents to a Parenting Program to Prevent Teen Drug Use

Project Description

This study examines the feasibility of using the social networking site Facebook to recruit parents to complete a self-directed parenting program to prevent teen alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. The study compares two recruitment methods: Facebook advertisement and web-based respondent-driven sampling. By targeting parents in Washington and Colorado, this study responds to growing concerns that youth marijuana use may be increasing in states that recently passed laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults. This research also examines the utility and acceptability of using a private Facebook group to provide a support platform for parents who are using the self-directed parenting program. Parents who consent to use the parenting program are randomized to one of two intervention conditions: self-directed implementation with and without Facebook group support. The private Facebook group provides the opportunity for informal interactions among parents and for study-facilitated group conversations.

This study has the potential to significantly increase the public health impact of parenting programs to reduce teen alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use if the use of social media tools, like Facebook, for recruitment and program support proves to be feasible.