Simon Melissa A, Tom Laura S, Dong XinQi
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.
Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2017 Jul 1;72(suppl_1):S41-S49. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glw333.
Enhancing the participation of Chinese older women in biobanking efforts is important for precision medicine efforts, as underrepresented groups risk benefiting less than others from medical advancements in individualized therapies. Focusing on a sample of Chinese older women in Chicago's Chinatown, this qualitative study seeks to describe attitudes toward, and barriers and facilitators of, participation in biospecimen research.
We conducted six focus groups among Chinese-speaking adult women age 45 and above. Focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for emergent themes.
Forty-seven women participated in focus groups, the majority (66.0%) were age 66 and over and half (50.1%) had less than a high school education. Participants expressed predominantly positive attitudes toward biospecimen research, but also identified multifaceted barriers to participation that included cultural beliefs of the body, perceived physical and privacy risks, as well as perceptions related to aging. Use of minimally invasive biospecimen collection and education to promote awareness of biospecimen research were suggested facilitators to increasing biospecimen research participation.
Culturally and linguistically isolated populations like Chinese older women are at risk of exclusion from advancements in precision medicine. Our findings provide cultural insights for tailoring interventions for Chinese older women to increase knowledge, change attitudes, and increase intention and participation in biospecimen research. We also highlight the need for individual, family, and community level interventions to promote healthy aging among Chinese older women.
提高中国老年女性参与生物样本库建设的程度对于精准医学发展至关重要，因为代表性不足的群体从个体化治疗的医学进步中获益可能少于其他群体。本定性研究以芝加哥唐人街的中国老年女性为样本，旨在描述她们对参与生物样本研究的态度、障碍和促进因素。
我们对45岁及以上的成年华裔女性进行了6次焦点小组访谈。对焦点小组访谈进行了转录、编码，并分析其中出现的主题。
47名女性参与了焦点小组访谈，其中大多数（66.0%）年龄在66岁及以上，一半（50.1%）的教育程度低于高中。参与者对生物样本研究主要表达了积极态度，但也指出了参与的多方面障碍，包括对身体的文化观念、感知到的身体和隐私风险以及与衰老相关的认知。建议采用微创生物样本采集和开展教育以提高对生物样本研究的认识，作为促进参与生物样本研究的因素。
像中国老年女性这样在文化和语言上相对孤立的群体，面临着被排除在精准医学进步之外的风险。我们的研究结果为针对中国老年女性制定干预措施提供了文化方面的见解，以增加她们的知识、改变态度，并提高参与生物样本研究的意愿和参与度。我们还强调了在个人层面以及家庭和社区层面进行干预以促进中国老年女性健康老龄化的必要性。
