Delivering a "Dose of Hope": A Faith-Based Program to Increase Older African Americans' Participation in Clinical Trials

This study sought to develop and test a community-developed, faith-based intervention and evaluate its potential to increase the number of older African Americans in clinical research. The authors worked with six churches to enroll at least 210 people. Those at the intervention group received three educational sessions on the role of clinical trials in addressing health disparity topics, and those in the comparison group completed surveys at the same time. All participants received ongoing information via newsletters and direct outreach on clinical studies seeking participants. The "Dose of Hope" program cohort was more successfully recruited; researchers concluded that it addressed an unmet need to reach an often overlooked audience of older African Americans who are members of churches and to stimulate their interest in clinical trial participation.

Frew PM, Omer SB, Parker K, et al. Delivering a 'Dose of Hope': A faith-based program to increase older African Americans’ participation in clinical trials. JMIR Research Protocols 2015;4(2):e64.