UC Irvine

This studys objective was to assess which caring recruitment behaviors correlate with the successful recruitment of older African-American adults-a two-step cross-sectional design employing a vignette-based survey methodology. Kristen Swansons middle-range theory of caring was used to guide the examination of African-American adults (65 years of age and older) perceptions of research-study-recruiter recruitment behaviors. This studys main findings are twofold: Step 1: Seven of ten invited experts identified major revisions of the two core vignettes, written at an eighth-grade reading level and high school comprehension. Step 2: A 51% response rate yielded findings that this methodology successfully captured older African-American adults perception of research study recruiters behavioral characteristics during the recruitment process. Older African-Americans who received the hypothetical caring vignette were twice as likely to indicate their willingness to enroll in a research study with a high commitment (i.e., brain donation) compared to their counterparts who received the hypothetical uncaring recruitment scenario. Vignette-based survey methodology holds promise as a tool for informing the recruitment of older African-American adults and other minorities into federally funded health-related research studies.