Abstract
BACKGROUND: Individuals residing in rural areas and those with low socioeconomic status are typically underrepresented in clinical research. Strategies to recruit more representative populations should be explored. This study aimed to compare screening and consenting proportions in a West Virginia-based pregnancy cohort study of individuals sent a recruitment message via the MyChart patient portal, overall and stratified by rurality and insurance status (proxy for socioeconomic status). METHODS: Between October 2022 and April 2023, 1024 recruitment messages were sent via MyChart, a healthcare-affiliated portal. Screening and consenting proportions were calculated overall and stratified by rurality and insurance status. Logistic regression was used to compare participation proportions. RESULTS: The recruiting method yielded 2.8 % consent. Screening and consenting proportions were similar across stratified groups. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare-affiliated portals may be a useful strategy to recruit typically underrepresented populations in pregnancy-related research.