Simning Adam, van Wijngaarden Edwin, Conwell Yeates
Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, 300 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester, 265 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Psychiatry J. 2015;2015:824672. doi: 10.1155/2015/824672. Epub 2015 May 27.
Background. Participation of minority older adults in mental health research has been limited by mistrust, transportation difficulties, lack of knowledge, and insufficient community partnership. We describe strategies utilized to overcome these recruitment barriers. Methods. Our target population included 553 public housing residents of older adult high-rise buildings in Rochester, NY. We had a two-stage cross-sectional study: Stage 1 was a health survey for all residents and Stage 2 was a psychiatric interview of English-speaking residents aged 60 years and older. Recruitment occurred through mailings, onsite activities, and resident referrals. Results. Stage 1 had 358 participants (64.7% response) and Stage 2 had 190 (61.6% target population response), with higher participation among African Americans. We found some strategies effective for overcoming recruitment barriers. First, we partnered with a community agency and organized onsite educational activities to improve residents' trust. Second, the study occurred entirely onsite, which facilitated participation of functionally impaired residents. Third, onsite activities allowed the residents to learn about the study and complete surveys in person. Fourth, we provided immediate incentives that resulted in many study referrals. Conclusions. Although recruitment of minority older adults presents unique challenges, a multifaceted community-tailored approach mitigated several recruitment barriers in this mental health study.
背景。少数族裔老年人参与心理健康研究受到不信任、交通困难、知识匮乏以及社区伙伴关系不足的限制。我们描述了为克服这些招募障碍而采用的策略。方法。我们的目标人群包括纽约州罗切斯特市老年高层公共住房的553名居民。我们进行了两阶段横断面研究：第一阶段是对所有居民进行健康调查，第二阶段是对60岁及以上讲英语的居民进行精神病学访谈。通过邮寄、现场活动和居民推荐进行招募。结果。第一阶段有358名参与者（回应率64.7%），第二阶段有190名（目标人群回应率61.6%），非裔美国人的参与度更高。我们发现一些策略对克服招募障碍有效。首先，我们与一个社区机构合作，组织现场教育活动以增强居民的信任。其次，研究完全在现场进行，这便于功能受损居民参与。第三，现场活动让居民了解研究并亲自完成调查。第四，我们提供即时激励措施，从而带来了许多研究推荐。结论。尽管招募少数族裔老年人存在独特挑战，但一种多方面针对社区的方法缓解了这项心理健康研究中的几个招募障碍。
