Leveraging Social Media to Sample Rare Populations: Overcoming Recruitment Challenges in Young Adults with Stroke

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Background Recruitment of participants in stroke research is particularly challenging when targeting low-prevalence subgroups, such as young adults. Conventional recruitment strategies, including hospital-based enrolment, rehabilitation-centre recruitment and third-party research services, may be limited by high financial costs, administrative delays and restricted access to eligible participants. Objective To describe the use of social media as a cost-effective and accessible alternative recruitment strategy for stroke research involving uncommon populations. Methods This article is presented as a descriptive recruitment case study methodological feasibility report, rather than a formal comparative evaluation of recruitment strategies. We evaluated the feasibility of traditional recruitment approaches for a case-control study examining risk factors in young adults, including recruitment through clinical sites, rehabilitation centres and third-party polling firms. Targeting recruitment was subsequently conducted through stroke-specific online communities on Reddit and Facebook. Recruitment feasibility, reach and methodological considerations relevant to stroke epidemiology and stroke care research were assessed. Results Traditional recruitment methods yielded limited enrolment and were associated with substantial costs, administrative burden, or both. Social media recruitment facilitated rapid dissemination of study materials, increased engagement among eligible participants and broader geographic reach through established stroke survivor communities. Approximately 450 of 500 participants were recruited through social media, representing about 90% of the final analytic sample. Important limitations included potential selection bias, inability to independently verify stroke diagnosis and platform-specific demographic constraints. Conclusion Social media may be a feasible adjunct to conventional recruitment strategies for uncommon stroke populations, particularly when resources are limited.