# Investigating if changing the wording of a study invitation letter increased recruitment in a project promoting tobacco cessation in a town with high smoking rates

## TL;DR

This study tested if changing the wording of invitation letters could boost participation in a smoking cessation program in a town with high smoking rates.

## Contribution

The study tested the impact of reading level and message framing on recruitment for a tobacco cessation trial.

## Key findings

- No significant differences in recruitment were found between the letter variations.
- Future research on improving invitation letters is recommended despite current limitations.

## Abstract

Invitation letters can be the first point of contact between research staff and potential participants and a number of modifiable variables have been studied to improve their effectiveness. The aim of this analysis was to determine if lower reading levels and “gain-framed” messages improved recruitment for a RCT that mailed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches for smoking cessation.

Invitation letters were created which varied in a two-by-two design by reading level and message framing. The letters were randomly mailed to all households in a community selected to receive targeted distribution of NRT patches.

There were no significant differences found in the number of participants enrolled.

Future research investigating factors to improve invitation letters is merited despite current project limitations.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04534231.