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A quantitative analysis of beliefs and behaviors associated with Black adults' participation in cancer research
Methods: Surveys were administered to a convenience sample of members of Black churches involved in a community-based participatory research project in South Carolina. The instrument included items assessing sociodemographics, health literacy, attitudes, intention to and participation in cancer research. Data were collected from 727 adults from October 2012 to August 2013. Statistical analyses were conducted in SAS 9.3.
Results: Nine percent of respondents reported intention to participate, 6% reported being asked to participate and less than 4% had ever participated in a cancer research. Majority of participants (67.4%) believed that research benefited society while almost half of respondents (45%) were uncertain about research risks. Regression models revealed that rurality, health literacy, and health insurance type were significant in predicting the endorsement of societal benefits of research. Fisher exact tests revealed differences in prior cancer research participation by age, health literacy, belief in research benefits, and intention to participate.
Conclusions: Structural factors influenced attitudinal factors and both types of factors were related to cancer research participation. The strength and direction of their influence on participation could not be determined due to low levels of research invitations and prior research participation in this sample. Future studies examining Black research participants' beliefs and experiences should explore the relationships between these factors. Strategies to improve cancer research participation should include efforts to address both attitudinal and structural factors.
Learning Areas:
Diversity and cultureSocial and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe the attitudes toward and participation in cancer research in a sample of Black adults
Evaluate the influence of attitudinal and structural factors on cancer research participation in a sample of Black adults
Keyword(s): Cancer, African American
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Deeonna Farr is a DrPH candidate in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. Ms. Farr's professional experiences include health research, advocacy and practice activities focused on reducing chronic disease inequalities. I coordinated the data collection and analysis resulting in the described research. I have conducted several studies examining the facilitators of research participation in Black communities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.