TY  - JOUR
AU  - Francis, Jackson M
AU  - Neti, Sitapriya S
AU  - Polavarapu, Dhatri
AU  - Atem, Folefac
AU  - Xie, Luyu
AU  - Kapera, Olivia
AU  - Mathew, Matthew S
AU  - Marroquin, Elisa
AU  - McAdams, Carrie
AU  - Schellinger, Jeffrey
AU  - Ngenge, Sophia
AU  - Kukreja, Sachin
AU  - Schneider, Benjamin E
AU  - Almandoz, Jaime P
AU  - Messiah, Sarah E
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/4/10
TI  - Association of Social Media Recruitment and Depression Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Candidates: Prospective Cohort Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e58916
VL  - 9
KW  - social media
KW  - social media recruitment
KW  - depression
KW  - depressed
KW  - major depressive disorder
KW  - MDD
KW  - depressive disorder
KW  - depressive
KW  - race
KW  - racial
KW  - racial differences
KW  - ethnic
KW  - ethnic differences
KW  - ethnicity
KW  - metabolic surgery
KW  - bariatric surgery
KW  - obesity
KW  - obese
KW  - online health
KW  - ethics
KW  - mental health
KW  - eHealth
KW  - internet
KW  - digital health
KW  - digital mental health
KW  - online interventions
KW  - public engagement
KW  - public health
AB  - Background: Due to the widespread use of social media and the internet in today’s connected world, obesity and depression rates are increasing concurrently on a global scale. This study investigated the complex dynamics involving social media recruitment for scientific research, race, ethnicity, and depression among metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) candidates. Objective: This study aimed to determine (1) the association between social media recruitment and depression among MBS candidates and (2) racial and ethnic differences in social media recruitment engagement. Methods: The analysis included data from 380 adult MBS candidates enrolled in a prospective cohort study from July 2019 to December 2022. Race and ethnicity, recruitment method (social media: yes or no), and depression status were evaluated using χ2 tests and logistic regression models. Age, sex, and ethnicity were adjusted in multivariable logistic regression models. Results: The mean age of the candidates was 47.35 (SD 11.6) years, ranging from 18 to 78 years. Participants recruited through social media (n=41, 38.32%) were more likely to report past or current episodes of depression compared to nonsocial media–recruited participants (n=74, 27.11%; P=.03), with a 67% increased likelihood of depression (odds ratio [OR] 1.67, 95% CI 1.04‐2.68, P=.03). Further analysis showed that participants with a history of depression who were below the mean sample age were 2.26 times more likely to be recruited via social media (adjusted OR [aOR] 2.26, 95% CI 1.03‐4.95; P=.04) compared to those above the mean age. Hispanic (n=26, 38.81%) and non-Hispanic White (n=53, 35.10%) participants were significantly more likely to be recruited via social media than non-Hispanic Black (n=27, 18.37%) participants (P<.001). After adjusting for covariates, non-Hispanic Black participants were 60% less likely than non-Hispanic White participants to be recruited via social media (aOR 0.40, 95% CI 0.22‐0.71; P=.002). Conclusions: We found that individuals recruited through social media channels, especially younger participants, were more likely to report past or current episodes of depression compared to those recruited through nonsocial media. The study also showed that non-Hispanic Black individuals are less likely to engage in social media recruitment for scientific research versus other racial and ethnic groups. Future mental health–related studies should consider strategies to mitigate potential biases introduced by recruitment methods to ensure the validity and generalizability of research findings. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e58916
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/58916
DO  - 10.2196/58916
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/58916
ER  -