Results of true community engagement and outreach: The Jackson Heart Study

Objectives: The objectives of this study are: 1) to describe the community engagement and outreach strategies and 2) the adaptation of the Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach in assembling the largest cohort of African Americans (n=5301) at a single-site epidemiological investigation of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: Investigators utilized the community based participatory research (CBPR) approach to build and maintain community trust during the initial phase of the JHS and to establish the foundation for successful future exam periods. The process of building trust among community, investigators and academia began with the identification and implementation of four key components: 1) creating community awareness; 2) informing the community of the study's recruitment criteria and benefits; 3) involving community as co-investigators through active participation on key decision making committees; and 4) providing mechanisms to convey cardiovascular health information to the community. Results: Community partnership in the JHS is evidenced by sustained networks of key community and faith stakeholders; sustained media campaigns; and community participatory activities. These sustainable community outreach approaches provided immediate benefits to the community, while strengthening trust and the collaborative relationship between community, investigators and academia. Conclusions: This description of JHS outreach strategies underscores important components of building trusting relationships between the community, investigators and academia. African Americans' participation in research studies is increased when the community is engaged as a partner at all phases of the research endeavor.