Advancing the Science of Recruitment and Retention of Ethnically Diverse Populations

We highlight several critical challenges that must be addressed to accelerate the advancement of the science on recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse older adults into health research. These include the relative lack of attention by researchers to methodological issues related to recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse populations and the inadequacy of funding to advance systematically this field. We describe strategies used by the Resource Centers on Minority Aging Research and other National Institute of Aging–funded programs to advance the science of recruitment of ethnically diverse older adults. Finally, we propose a set of broad recommendations designed to generate a body of evidence on successful methods of recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse populations in health research. To eliminate health disparities and better understand aging processes in ethnically diverse populations, much more research is needed on effective strategies for increasing minority enrollment in health research. Comparative effectiveness research on more intensive recruitment and retention methods, which are often needed for including diverse populations, will require dedicated funding and concerted efforts by investigators

Building a Registry of Research Volunteers Among Older Urban African Americans: Recruitment Processes and Outcomes From a Community-Based Partnership

Purpose of the study: An emerging strategy for increasing public participation in health research is volunteer registries. Using a community-based participatory research framework, we describe recruitment processes and outcomes in building a research volunteer registry of older urban African Americans. The specific research question examined retrospectively was: How does a community outreach partnership between older residents and academic researchers of the Healthier Black Elders Center facilitate recruitment of older urban African Americans for a research volunteer registry? Design and Methods: We adapted program evaluation methods, specifically, the logic model, for clarifying how community outreach health education activities supported development of a research volunteer registry of older urban African Americans. Results: Paralleling the 7 years in which an annual health reception was held, enrollees in a research volunteer registry increased from 102 to 1,273 enrollees. Implications: Targeted outreach to underrepresented groups to build a registry of volunteers for health research may be a promising strategy for addressing recruitment disparities in African Americans’ research participation