Who Is Missing? Approaches to Overcome Selection Bias in Studies of Abortion Access in the United States

Heidi Moseson , Ibis Reproductive Health
Jane Seymour
Carmela Zuniga, Ibis Reproductive Health
Alexandra Wollum
Caitlin Gerdts, Ibis Reproductive Health

Clinic-based studies of barriers to abortion care may suffer from selection bias, as they do not include people who are unable to make it to an abortion clinic, even for a first visit. This study aimed to establish the feasibility of various methods of recruiting a non-clinic-based sample for a study about abortion-seeking experiences. Over one month, we piloted recruitment for a survey about abortion-seeking experiences through Google AdWords, Facebook, and Reddit. Eligible participants were <50 years old, English or Spanish speaking United States residents who were pregnant in the last five years, and were unable to obtain a wanted abortion. For each recruitment platform, we will report recruitment and eligibility rates, cost per eligible recruit, and characteristics of recruited participants. Descriptive analyses of survey responses will summarize experiences seeking abortion care, and open-ended questions will be inductively coded to provide additional context about barriers to abortion care.

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 Presented in Session 1. Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior, & Reproductive Health 1