Feasibility of Social Media Recruitment for Orofacial Cleft Genetic Research.

Unpaid social media advertising enabled the recruitment of a large cohort of participants in a short time (12 months). The resulting study population was limited in racial and ethnic diversity, suggesting that other recruitment strategies will be needed for studies seeking specific demographic or socioeconomic groups. Nonetheless, social media recruitment was efficient and effective for recruiting participants for a genetic study in comparison to traditional clinic-based modes of recruitment.