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Lessons Learned from Community-Led Recruitment of Immigrants and Refugee Participants for a Randomized, Community-Based Participatory Research Study

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An Erratum to this article was published on 01 October 2016

Abstract

Ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in clinical trials despite efforts to increase their enrollment. Although community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches have been effective for conducting research studies in minority and socially disadvantaged populations, protocols for CBPR recruitment design and implementation among immigrants and refugees have not been well described. We used a community-led and community-implemented CBPR strategy for recruiting 45 Hispanic, Somali, and Sudanese families (160 individuals) to participate in a large, randomized, community-based trial aimed at evaluating a physical activity and nutrition intervention. We achieved 97.7 % of our recruitment goal for families and 94.4 % for individuals. Use of a CBPR approach is an effective strategy for recruiting immigrant and refugee participants for clinical trials. We believe the lessons we learned during the process of participatory recruitment design and implementation will be helpful for others working with these populations.

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Fig. 1

Abbreviations

CBPR:

Community-based participatory research

FHP:

Family health promoters

HSPT:

Human subjects protection training

IRB:

Institutional review board

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Acknowledgments

Withheld for anonymous review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Marcelo M. Hanza, Mark L. Wieland & Irene G. Sia

  2. Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Jennifer A. Weis

  3. Alliance of Chicanos, Hispanics and Latin Americans, Winona State University, Rochester, MN, USA

    Miriam Goodson & Maria D. Porraz Capetillo

  4. Somali Community Resettlement Services, Winona State University, Rochester, MN, USA

    Ahmed Osman & Abdullah Hared

  5. Hawthorne Education Center, Winona State University, Rochester, MN, USA

    Julie A. Nigon

  6. Department of Nursing, Winona State University, Rochester, MN, USA

    Sonja J. Meiers

Authors
  1. Marcelo M. Hanza
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  2. Miriam Goodson
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  3. Ahmed Osman
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  4. Maria D. Porraz Capetillo
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  5. Abdullah Hared
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  6. Julie A. Nigon
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  7. Sonja J. Meiers
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  8. Jennifer A. Weis
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  9. Mark L. Wieland
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  10. Irene G. Sia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcelo M. Hanza.

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This study was reviewed and approved by our institutional review board.

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Hanza, M.M., Goodson, M., Osman, A. et al. Lessons Learned from Community-Led Recruitment of Immigrants and Refugee Participants for a Randomized, Community-Based Participatory Research Study. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 1241–1245 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0394-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0394-2

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