Ethnic minorities may be more willing than was previously thought to take part in clinical research

A recently published study by researchers at RTI International indicates ethnic minorities may be more willing than was previously thought to take part in clinical research, an encouraging sign for those seeking to better understand minority health.

The study, published in the Aug. 29 issue of BMC Public Health , contradicts previous research suggesting that ethnic minorities are less likely to volunteer for clinical research, possibly due to infamous breaches of medical ethics such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

The findings are based on a study involving pregnant African-American or Hispanic women living in Washington, D.C., designed to determine whether counseling programs were effective at reducing smoking, environmental tobacco smoke exposure, depression and intimate partner violence during pregnancy.
Pregnant women were recruited at prenatal care clinics. Of those recruited for the study, 80 percent were successfully followed until 10 weeks postpartum.

Researchers found that building rapport by showing cultural sensitivity to the women and their experiences was imperative. They also employed a flexible recruiting process in order to increase participation in the study. Also contributing to the high recruitment rates were the project's efforts to gain the cooperation of the staff at the prenatal clinic sites and educating them about the study.

"The inclusion of ethnic minorities in clinical and behavioral research provides better access to new and high-quality health care often not available to them," said Nabil El-Khorazaty, Ph.D., who led the research effort. "It is important that they are included in these trials, because the prevalence of many health problems is higher in ethnic minorities and health outcomes are often poorer."

Among the contributors to the high retention rate were financial compensation, ease of data collection, use of a computerized data management system, scheduling of activities convenient to participants, and timely monitoring and tracking of study activities. Study participants were frequently telephoned to keep them informed of upcoming interviews, and provided researchers with information regarding the best times to call and alternative contact numbers.

The team found that the women who intentionally left the study were more likely to be older, in a relationship and working. These women might have had more stable lives and felt that the survey was less beneficial to them personally. In contrast, women who could not be contacted for follow-up interviews tended to be younger, single and leading a more chaotic lifestyle.

The results of this study suggest that researchers should tailor their retention strategies to fit different target groups. With targeted recruitment and retention concerted efforts and right strategies, minorities will participate at high rates in such behavioral and clinical trials.

BMC Public Health is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in all aspects of epidemiology and public health medicine.