Relational Approaches to Recruitment During and After the Pandemic: Strategies for Community-Led Research Initiatives With Indigenous Communities in Southern Ontario

Recruiting research participants is a vital part of health research, necessary to obtain data that can yield meaningful results. Recruiting research participants, however, can be challenging and time-consuming. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant challenges to participant recruitment, as traditional methods relying on in-person interactions were not feasible with health restrictions. This was particularly challenging for community-led research with Indigenous communities, where relational approaches to recruitment are culturally appropriate and ethically necessary to build community trust. This paper describes the recruitment methods of three different Indigenous community-led studies carried out in Southern Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes the necessity for flexibility and responsive recruitment strategies during this time. Despite health regulations disrupting in-person approaches to building relationships during the pandemic, our priority for a relational approach to recruitment was achieved through strong relationships with community partners and the use of technology. The examples and strategies provided here contribute to the developing body of literature describing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on qualitative and community-led research, of which little is available concerning recruitment strategies. Our experience and learning will be valuable to novice researchers and those who are new to community-led and relational approaches to research.