Recruiting Low-Income African American Men in Mental Health Research: A Community-Based Participatory Research Feasibility Study

Abstract

African Americans (AAs) are 20% more likely to develop serious psychological distress compared to Whites but are less likely to use mental health services. The study objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment strategies to engage AA fathers in a mental health intervention. Using the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, a community-academic partnership (CAP) developed and implemented direct and indirect referral strategies to engage AA fathers in a mental health intervention. Direct referral strategies focused on community partner identification of potentially eligible participants, providing information about the study (i.e., study flyer), and referring potential participants to the study. Indirect referrals included posting flyers in local businesses frequented by AA men, radio advertisements, and social media posts from community organizations. From January to October 2019, 50 direct and 1388 indirect referrals were documented, yielding 24 participants screened and 15 enrolled. Of all participants screened, 58% were referred through indirect referral, 38% were referred directly by community partners, and 4% of the participants were referred through both direct and indirect referrals. Twenty percent of those exposed to the direct referral methods and 1% of those exposed to the indirect referral methods were enrolled. The indirect referrals accounted for 60% of enrollment, whereas the direct referrals accounted for 33.3% of enrollment. Collaborating with the community partners to engage hard-to-reach populations in mental health studies allowed for broad dissemination of recruitment methods, but still resulted in low participant accrual. Additional focus on increasing direct referral methods appears to be a fruitful area of CBPR.

Improving diversity in study participation: Patient perspectives on barriers, racial differences and the role of communities

“…This insight should steer research sponsors to increase the involvement of HCPs across racial and ethnic groups in research and to partner with religious/cultural community groups to enhance trust among prospective study participants. An example from the literature highlights the usefulness of CBPR, through which community‐level engagements are carried out to improve diversity and inclusion in clinical research 35,40,41,47 . The findings of this study support the need for pharmaceutical companies and research investigators to apply CBPR or similar models when planning and designing clinical research studies.…”

“…An example from the literature highlights the usefulness of CBPR, through which community-level engagements are carried out to improve diversity and inclusion in clinical research. 35,40,41,47 The findings of this study support the need for pharmaceutical companies and research investigators to apply CBPR or similar models when planning and designing clinical research studies.…”

“…This approach maximizes community participation and patient retention as it considers community members as invested partners in the intervention and outcomes 36,37 . Research supports that the CBPR approach is effective in recruiting, retaining and improving behavioural and health‐related outcomes in disadvantaged communities 38–41 …”

“… 36 , 37 Research supports that the CBPR approach is effective in recruiting, retaining and improving behavioural and health‐related outcomes in disadvantaged communities. 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 …”

“…36,37 Research supports that the CBPR approach is effective in recruiting, retaining and improving behavioural and health-related outcomes in disadvantaged communities. [38][39][40][41] US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a patientfocused drug development approach to ensure that the views, needs, preferences and interactions of patients are captured and meaningfully integrated throughout the lifecycle of a medical product. 42 Although it is crucial to embrace patient-focused research, the existing literature reveals an unmet need in this area.…”