Community perspectives on biobanking: A qualitative study among Mexican-origin community members living in three Texas cities

Population-based biobanks are important for identifying the causes and mechanisms of diseases and can contribute to more accurate diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The usefulness of biobanks depends on the donation of specimens from individuals of diverse racial and ethnic communities; however, only a small pecentage of current participants are Hispanics/Latinos. We present the results of a qualitative study to assess biobanking knowledge and attitudes of Mexican-origin community members living in three Texas cities, as well as their opinions on barriers and facilitators to participation. We conducted 15 focus groups, 8 in Spanish and 7 in English, with a total of 128 individuals.  We transcribed the recorded data, and coded and analyzed the trasncripts using Atlas.ti v. 7.0. The majority of participants reported that they had never heard of biobanking and they were confused about what specimens would be collected. Most participants expressed a willingness to participate in biobanking to benefit society, family members, and science, especially because they felt that donation did not present a major risk to themselves. However, participants reported that they needed to understand the details of participation, such as how long speciments would be stored, before they would agree to donate their biospecimens. Participants expressed a need for education in their community about the societal benefits that can emerge from biobanking. These results can be used to delevop appropriate educational materials and strategies to increase biobanking participation in this community.