This presentation will review the importance of adequate representation of ethnic minority elders in research trials, barriers to their participation in research, and future directions in research pertaining to recruitment and retention. The poor participation of minority subjects is worrisome since statistics show that the elderly population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. The available literature highlights some of the barriers that could hinder elder minority participation in research. Although much of the literature on the recruitment of minorities in biomedical research concentrates on barriers within minority communities, it is also important to realize the significance of barriers that stem from research communities, including academic affiliation, interdisciplinary and multicultural differences among the research team, and activist agendas by the interviewers. This pioneer research has opened a new level of understanding on those barriers that ethnic minority participants and researchers confront. This understanding is a first step; the next step is the understanding of the factors behind the "decision making process" that determines the participation of a subject in an intervention research protocol. Evaluating the “actual factors” behind the decision making process of ethnic minority elders to participate in research trials may provide critical information that may enhance recruitment and retention.
Back to S072 Enhancing Research Participation for Ethnic Minority Elders: An American Problem with International Implications
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