Underrepresented

Spotlight videos from the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center highlight research participants’ experiences.

This article describes how the University of Pittsburgh’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center used research participation stories to create messaging for recruitment materials.

This paper describes the researchers’ experiences in establishing and maintaining a diverse Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention Registry.

A report that overviews the Washington University School of Medicine Knight ADRC's “African American Participation in Alzheimer Disease Research: Effective Strategies” Workshop on research participation.

This research examined the effectiveness and differences in using both traditional and social media materials for the recruitment of African American versus non-Hispanic white participants.

This research article describes the Minority Aging Research Study's brain donation challenges, processes, and successful procurement with older African American adults.

This Spanish video encourages people to have memory testing if they are having any difficulties remembering.

This video discusses the importance of healthy volunteer participation in Alzheimer’s disease research.

A research article from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center helps researchers learn about their participants and procedures to better advance the science of Alzheimer’s and related dementias in Latinxs.

A video from the University of California, San Francisco, explains why diversity in research is important, and steps researchers can take to increase diversity in their studies.

The CARE registry is addressing the gap and disparities in research participation among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and encourages participating in research.

A collection of videos about Alzheimer’s disease and clinical trials, including topics on clinical trials awareness and recruiting.

This Spanish language video from the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center covers the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the need to include the Latino community in clinical research.

To test an intervention for increasing Alzheimer’s disease literacy among African Americans, the researchers enrolled 193 African American community-dwelling adults using culturally tailored education and messaging.

This brochure provides an overview of the Alzheimer’s Outreach Program at the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, which invites African Americans age 60 or older to participate in research as healthy volunteers.

This systematic review examined 22 published reports describing recruitment and retention of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in Alzheimer’s disease research or underrepresented participants’ perspectives regarding participation in such research. The authors concluded that considerable scientific gaps limit the use of prior efforts by scientists to bolster inclusion of members from underrepresented groups. They recommend that future studies on this topic use improved methodological...

This community engagement program at the University of Florida bridges the gap between health care and health research by providing health education, health screenings, and wellness resources. It also links participants with clinical studies.

This report shows the feasibility of recruiting individuals age 90 and older into longitudinal clinical research and provides preliminary guidance related to the effectiveness of recruitment strategies.

This 3-minute video features Dan Gasby, who with his wife, the celebrity B. (Barbara) Smith, has advocated for greater public awareness of the disease and for participation in clinical trials. Smith was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease in 2014.

More than 25 plain-language informational brochures in English have been developed to enable and improve communication between clinical research staff and research participants. Most of the brochures are available in an additional 15 languages.

An online survey of 556 recruitment practices across the NRG Oncology network (a nonprofit research organization formed to conduct oncologic clinical research) was conducted to learn about recruitment of participants from minority/underserved populations. The survey response rate was 34.9 percent. The most effective methods reported for recruiting minority/underserved participants were patient navigators (44.4 percent) and translators (38.9 percent). All institutions reported using a mechanism...

This case study examines how the use of community engagement principles and approaches enhanced clinical trial recruitment and retention. The Meharry Vanderbilt Community Engaged Research Core (CERC), which facilitates community involvement in clinical and translational research, was consulted to enhance participation of African-American women in a clinical trial. CERC's key recommendations included: 1) convene a Community Engagement Studio, 2) redesign the recruitment advertisement, 3) simplify...

This 36-page guide promotes public health strategies to address dementia in American Indian/Alaska Native communities. The strategies fall under three themes: educate and empower community members, collect and use data, and strengthen the workforce.

The NIH Strategic Plan for Tribal Health Research FY 2019–2023 is designed to improve NIH's relationship and collaborative efforts with American Indian/Alaska Native communities by enhancing communication and collaboration, building research capacity, expanding research, and enhancing cultural competency and community engagement.

This 12-minute video, entitled "GAPS," addresses the challenges presented by Alzheimer’s disease in Asian American communities.

This webpage and 5-minute video encourages the participation of American Indian, Alaska Native, and other indigenous communities in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials.

"Dementia Awareness" is a 16-slide presentation from the Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) on the need for partnership with the American Indian community to raise awareness and increase participation in dementia research.

"Dementia in the Latino Community: What We Should Know and Do" and "Dementia in the Latino Community" are slide presentations in Spanish and English, respectively, from the Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

A one-page handout from the Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center explains brain donation in simple steps.

A six-panel brochure from the Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center uses a frequently asked questions format to provide information on brain donation.

NIA has created four video stories profiling participants in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. These videos feature participants from different walks of life who discuss what motivates them and how research staff support them to participate in studies and trials. The videos are intended to be shared as part of engagement and recruitment efforts for clinical studies. Each video was made with a specific audience in mind: Will’s Story—When both of Will’s parents developed dementia, he and his...

This NIA-produced planning guide for investigators, study coordinators, recruitment communications staff, and others involved in clinical research outlines strategies for improving community-based research participation.

This article explores strategies to improve participation in cognitive aging research by older adults, particularly minority older adults. The cultural aspects of cognitive aging are examined, especially the role of stigma and stereotype threat. The perceptions of cognitive aging of African American and Hispanic older adults are also described. Specific strategies are presented that have been successfully implemented to improve recruitment and retention in research targeting minority older...

The current state of the literature on recruitment and retention strategies in clinical studies of low-income and minority populations was assessed in a review of 165 studies published in English between 2004 and 2014. Data extracted included information on the study type (descriptive or analytical), study design, study focus (recruitment, retention, or both recruitment and retention), health outcome, specific minority group, special population or age group, whether specific recruitment...

A sample of 304 African-American participants from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area completed a survey evaluating beliefs about medical research and preferred research study methods. Results showed 90 percent believed that medical research was necessary and assists in finding a cure for a disease. Most respondents expressed a preference for participating in research related to issues with which they were familiar (e.g., diabetes or hypertension) or for working with researchers of a...

In-depth, semi-structured, telephone interviews were conducted with 31 research investigators experienced with minority populations, to explore their perspectives regarding how their own racial and ethnic background influenced their ability to recruit minorities. The analysis addressed the benefits and potential risks of racial concordance ("race-matching") in research recruitment (i.e., it is not a "magic pill"), and the importance investigators themselves placed on "being really connected" and...

Researchers surveyed 1,643 participants to investigate potential motivators, barriers, and facilitators to participation in research that tests a new drug or device. Participants were Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and "other" minorities. Motivators were measured on a scale that ranged from "no influence" (0) to "most influence" (4). Significant differences by race were found for five out of 10 motivating factors. "Risk of unknown side-effects" was the greatest barrier for...

The authors propose EER a systematic approach to research participant recruitment so as to address the inadequate recruitment of underserved populations The guideline is referred to by the acronym EERC, for evaluate, engage, reflect, and carefully match. These terms stand for: 1) Evaluate the composition of the research team, 2) Engage fully with the community by working with key informants and cultural insiders, 3) Reflect the unique cultural characteristics of the community in the research...

This reviewed examined 15 articles to identify challenges and strategies pertaining to recruitment and retention of frail older adults in research studies. Lack of perceived benefit, distrust of research staff, poor health, and mobility problems were identified as common challenges. Common strategies used were to establish a partnership with staff that participants knew and trusted and to be flexible about the time and place of the study. Few studies performed analyses to compare the impact of...

A telephone survey of 511 people in one Southern state explored the communication sources and perceived effective communication channels and strategies through which African Americans and White individuals receive clinical trial information.

Recommendations and guidelines to increase the participation of minorities in health-related research typically pertain to research in clinical or laboratory contexts. This article summarizes community-engaged outreach efforts that can be translated into usable strategies for health education research teams seeking to diversify the pool of research participants. The article provides an overview of the various components of a research endeavor that may influence minority participation in health...

This article describes the challenges encountered in recruiting, into five research studies, Mexican American participants from community settings. Culturally relevant strategies used to recruit are also described. The most effective recruitment strategies reflected the common cultural values of personalismo, simpátia, confianza, respeto, and familismo. García AA, Zuñiga JA, Lagon C. A personal touch: The most important strategy for recruiting Latino research participants. Journal of...

A telephone survey was conducted with rural and urban residents in South Carolina to examine potential barriers to participation in clinical trials. The survey explored structural and procedural barriers (e.g., limited accessibility) and cognitive and psychological barriers (e.g., fear, distrust). Findings indicated that there were no significant differences between rural and urban residents in their willingness to participate in a clinical trial. However, rural residents were more likely to...

This paper discusses a variety of methods that were successful in exceeding target recruitment and retention goals in a randomized clinical trial of hearing protector use among farm operators. Recruitment and retention strategies were: based on a philosophy of mutually beneficial engagement in the research process, culturally appropriate, tailored to the unique needs of partnering agencies, and developed and refined in a cyclical and iterative process. These approaches may result in enhanced...

Rural residents diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or with CVD-related risks are underrepresented in behavioral intervention trials. This literature review condensed the evidence and developed a conceptual framework of interlinked, multi-level factors affecting participation. In addition to contextual factors (i.e. patient, community and research levels), common factors impacting rural patients’ intent to enroll included lack of awareness and understanding about behavioral trials...

In this study, researchers evaluated the perceived success of recruitment and retention protocols for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Filipino adult populations. Focus groups and questionnaires were used to identify themes related to facilitators and deterrents to participation in clinical trials in these populations. Responses to animated videos and vignettes with actors regarding clinical research participation were analyzed. Researchers found that successful recruitment and retention...

This study explored why participation in clinical trials is lower in the African American population. The authors examined two sets of potential barriers: structural/procedural (limited accessibility, lack of awareness, doctors not discussing clinical trial options, and lack of health insurance) and cognitive/psychological (lack of subjective and factual knowledge, misperceptions, distrust, fear, and perceived risk). The authors found that lack of subjective knowledge and perceived risk were...

To identify successful recruitment strategies, challenges, and best practices for researchers to engage African American communities in clinical studies, researchers reviewed studies conducted from 2001 to 2012 at an inner-city research center. They contacted the study coordinators to obtain data on recruitment and retention strategies, challenges, and dropout rates, and also interviewed 25 study coordinators on challenges and strategies. Successful recruitment and retention strategies included...

An illustrated, two-page, full-color flyer provides information on MUNDOS, a program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychology Assessment Center. MUNDOS provides neuropsychological services and enriched training opportunities for clinical psychology students who are interested in multicultural neuropsychology. The program serves individuals with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including individuals who are monolingual and bilingual Spanish/English speakers.

The Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (MADRC) and the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (CART) are supported by a Community Advisory Board. Leaders from the community serve as advisors on the actions needed to increase participation, particularly of underrepresented groups, in MADRC/CART clinical research programs. Board members advise on collaborations, speak at community outreach presentations about the need for diverse representation, review materials created for...