Associations between culturally relevant recruitment strategies and participa nt interest, enrollment and generalizability in a weight-loss intervention for african American families

Lauren E. Huffman, Dawn K. Wilson, Heather Kitzman-Ulrich, Jordan E. Lyerly, Haylee M. Gause, Ken Resnicow

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Culturally relevant recruitment strategies may be an important approach for recruiting ethnic minorities for interventions. Previous research has examined associations between recruitment strategies and enrollment of African Americans (AA), but has not explored more deeply the role of incorporating sociocultural values into recruitment strategies. Our current study explores whether sociocultural recruitment mediums were associated with demographics, interest and enrollment in a weight-loss intervention. Method: Sociocultural mediums included community partnerships, culturally relevant ads, sociocultural events, or word-of-mouth. Non-sociocultural mediums included community/school events that did not specifically target AAs. Analyses examined whether demographics of enrolled families differed by recruitment strategy and if recruitment strategy predicted scheduling a baseline visit, enrolling in a run-in phase, and enrolling in the intervention program. Results: Families recruited from culturally relevant ads, sociocultural events, or wordof-mouth were 1.96 times more likely to schedule a baseline visit (OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.05, 3.68) than families recruited from non-sociocultural mediums. No differences were found for sociocultural mediums on enrolling in the run-in phase or the intervention. However, among enrolled families, those recruited from sociocultural mediums were less likely to be employed (X2 [1, N=142] =5.53, P<.05) and more likely to have lower income (X2 [1, N=142] =13.57, P<.05). Conclusion: Sociocultural mediums were associated with scheduling a baseline visit, but not enrollment. They were, however, effective in recruiting a more generalizable sample among enrolled participants based on demographic characteristics. Integrating sociocultural values into recruitment methods may be a valuable strategy for increasing interest in participation among underrepresented AA families.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)295-304
Number of pages10
JournalEthnicity and Disease
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • African Americans
  • Recruitment
  • Sociocultural Values
  • Weight-loss Intervention

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Associations between culturally relevant recruitment strategies and participa nt interest, enrollment and generalizability in a weight-loss intervention for african American families'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this