Recruiting people considering abortion with google ads for research in a restrictive setting

Objectives National studies have used Google Ads to recruit people seeking abortion to evaluate barriers to access. We assessed the feasibility of Google Ads recruitment in Texas after the September 2021 implementation of a cardiac activity abortion ban. Methods Between September 2021 and July 2022, we used Google Ads to recruit Texans for an online survey on abortion access. Study advertisements were shown to those with Texas IP addresses whose searches included any of the 2,000 programmed abortion-related English and Spanish keywords. Advertisement clicks led to a webpage with study information and a baseline survey. Eligible respondents were Texas residents, aged ≥15 years, pregnant, and considering abortion. Results Overall, 775 people who clicked an advertisement completed the survey (9.5% conversion rate). Nearly half (49%) of the clicks resulted from keywords related to self-managed abortion (“how to miscarriage,” “AidAccess,” “Plan C”), 29% to general abortion (“medication abortion,” “how to abortion”), and 16% to abortion facilities (“local abortion clinics,” “Planned Parenthood”). After removing fraudulent and ineligible entries, our sample included 455 Texans seeking abortion with a median age of 26 years (range 15-50). The sample was geographically diverse, representing 82 counties. Most respondents identified as Non-Hispanic-White (34%), Hispanic-White (29%), or Non-Hispanic-Black (21%). Half the sample lived on incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level. Conclusions Our Google Ads recruitment had a favorable conversion rate compared to other studies using this approach and yielded a diverse sample of Texans seeking abortion. The prominence of self-managed abortion keywords suggests that the abortion access environment may influence the sample composition. National studies have used Google Ads to recruit people seeking abortion to evaluate barriers to access. We assessed the feasibility of Google Ads recruitment in Texas after the September 2021 implementation of a cardiac activity abortion ban. Between September 2021 and July 2022, we used Google Ads to recruit Texans for an online survey on abortion access. Study advertisements were shown to those with Texas IP addresses whose searches included any of the 2,000 programmed abortion-related English and Spanish keywords. Advertisement clicks led to a webpage with study information and a baseline survey. Eligible respondents were Texas residents, aged ≥15 years, pregnant, and considering abortion. Overall, 775 people who clicked an advertisement completed the survey (9.5% conversion rate). Nearly half (49%) of the clicks resulted from keywords related to self-managed abortion (“how to miscarriage,” “AidAccess,” “Plan C”), 29% to general abortion (“medication abortion,” “how to abortion”), and 16% to abortion facilities (“local abortion clinics,” “Planned Parenthood”). After removing fraudulent and ineligible entries, our sample included 455 Texans seeking abortion with a median age of 26 years (range 15-50). The sample was geographically diverse, representing 82 counties. Most respondents identified as Non-Hispanic-White (34%), Hispanic-White (29%), or Non-Hispanic-Black (21%). Half the sample lived on incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level. Our Google Ads recruitment had a favorable conversion rate compared to other studies using this approach and yielded a diverse sample of Texans seeking abortion. The prominence of self-managed abortion keywords suggests that the abortion access environment may influence the sample composition.