Abstract
We present baseline data and describe the utility of a community engaged, culturally relevant approach to recruiting African
American youth and families for phase I of The AAKOMA Project. The AAKOMA Project is a two phase treatment development study
to improve mental health service use among depressed African American youth. We completed capacity building activities using
a community engaged framework and Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods. Replicating the (Alvarez et al. in
West J Nurs Res 28:541–560, 2006) model of systematic community outreach enhanced our ability to effectively recruit partners and evaluate outreach efforts
as demonstrated by our Recruitment Success Factor (RSF—i.e. ‘an adjusted ratio of eligible participant yield to contacts made’).
Using the chi-square goodness-of-fit statistic; we compared the RSFs of the various modes of participant study entry to determine
which was most effective. Our target enrollment was 56 persons. We recruited 130 and enrolled 57. Our baseline data is drawn
from a gender balanced and socioeconomically diverse sample who participated in youth focus groups and individual interviews
and adult focus groups. We identified 3 study participant referral modes (self-referral, provider referral and participant-to-participant
referral) with multiple sources per mode and an overall RSF of 0.41. Study findings support the effectiveness of assiduous
and systematic community interaction, reflective review of recruitment efforts and the importance of disseminating information
on strategic recruitment processes for engaging diverse populations in clinical research.
American youth and families for phase I of The AAKOMA Project. The AAKOMA Project is a two phase treatment development study
to improve mental health service use among depressed African American youth. We completed capacity building activities using
a community engaged framework and Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods. Replicating the (Alvarez et al. in
West J Nurs Res 28:541–560, 2006) model of systematic community outreach enhanced our ability to effectively recruit partners and evaluate outreach efforts
as demonstrated by our Recruitment Success Factor (RSF—i.e. ‘an adjusted ratio of eligible participant yield to contacts made’).
Using the chi-square goodness-of-fit statistic; we compared the RSFs of the various modes of participant study entry to determine
which was most effective. Our target enrollment was 56 persons. We recruited 130 and enrolled 57. Our baseline data is drawn
from a gender balanced and socioeconomically diverse sample who participated in youth focus groups and individual interviews
and adult focus groups. We identified 3 study participant referral modes (self-referral, provider referral and participant-to-participant
referral) with multiple sources per mode and an overall RSF of 0.41. Study findings support the effectiveness of assiduous
and systematic community interaction, reflective review of recruitment efforts and the importance of disseminating information
on strategic recruitment processes for engaging diverse populations in clinical research.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-8
- DOI 10.1007/s10826-011-9472-1
- Authors
- Alfiee M. Breland-Noble, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3527, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Carl C. Bell, Psychiatry and School of Public Health, University of Illinois, Chicago, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608, USA
- Antoinette Burriss, Durham, NC USA
- H. Kathy Poole, Durham, NC USA
- The AAKOMA Project Adult Advisory Board, Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill, NC USA
- Journal Journal of Child and Family Studies
- Online ISSN 1573-2843
- Print ISSN 1062-1024