Connecting Communities to Health Research: Recruitment Strategies and the Development of the Project CONNECT Minority Research Registry

Introduction Prevention and treatment standards are based on evidence obtained in behavioral and clinical research. However, racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the science that develops these standards. Research registries, typically developed around a condition, serve as a promising model for targeted recruitment to increase minority participation in health research. We assessed various recruitment methods to develop a health research registry targeting African-American community members.

Methods We describe six recruitment methods applied between 2004 and 2008 to recruit members into a health research registry. Recruitment included direct (existing studies, public databases, community outreach) and indirect (radio, internet, and email) methods targeting African American communities. We conducted analysis of recruitment method by age, gender, health, education, and marital status, , using descriptive statistics, frequencies, and chi-square statistics.

Results During the recruitment period, 608 individuals enrolled in the research registry. The majority of enrollees were African American, female, and in good health. Chi-square analysis show positive associations between recruitment methods and age. Within subgroups, the association was significant for for younger groups and community outreach (p<.001), public databases (p<.0001), and email (p<.0001). Positive associations were found for older groups and existing studies, public database, and email (p<.0001). Positive associations were also found with presence of existing health condition, prior research participation, and motivation to join the registry.

Conclusion A health research registry can be a successful tool to increase minority awareness of research opportunities. Multi-pronged recruitment approaches may appeal to the diverse subgroups within the African American community.