Abouhala Siwaar, Abdulle Aber, Zanial Noor, Aziz Ghada, Hussein Asma, Stiffler Matthew Jaber, Hawa Roula, Tariq Madiha, Ady Ghadeer, Shalabi Itedal, Awad Germine H, Abuelezam Nadia N
William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
J Community Health. 2025 Apr;50(2):358-368. doi: 10.1007/s10900-024-01423-9. Epub 2024 Dec 16.
Research examining Arab and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) health disparities faces several research limitations. These obstacles include unrepresentative national data due to the absence of a MENA identifier on the US Census, and a lack of Arab/MENA American participant trust in surveying bodies. This research hesitancy prompts the need for targeted investigation of the barriers preventing Arab/MENA Americans from participating in health research. Using community- and patient-centered methods, we created and disseminated a patient-facing survey to identify barriers to Arab/MENA American research participation. Through regular meetings and collaboration with stakeholders on research instrument development and participant recruitment, a novel quantitative survey was created (April-May 2023) to identify barriers affecting Arab/MENA American participation in health research and to explore their experiences and opportunities for improvement in the healthcare sector. The survey instruments assessed interest in research, as well as the motivators and barriers to clinical research participation. The data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. A total of 149 respondents had non-missing values on both outcomes. The study sample was largely college educated and foreign-born. Over three quarters of respondents (77.5%) felt they knew what health research was while slightly less than three quarter of respondents (72.5%) would accept to participate in a health research study in the future. Those who were foreign-born, in lower income levels (< $65 k), or had low English proficiency or acculturation were less likely to report knowing what health research was. Facilitators to participating in research included a belief that participation would improve health, the idea of contributing to science, if monetary compensation was available, and if participation could be withdrawn at any time. These data further enhance our knowledge of Arab/MENA American comfortability with health research participation and can help inform future interventions. Immigration and sociodemographic factors are related to knowledge and willingness to participate as are several ideals including a desire to improve community health.
对阿拉伯及中东和北非（MENA）地区健康差异的研究面临若干研究局限性。这些障碍包括，由于美国人口普查中没有MENA标识符，导致国家数据缺乏代表性，以及阿拉伯/中东和北非裔美国人对调查机构缺乏信任。这种研究迟疑促使有必要针对性地调查阻碍阿拉伯/中东和北非裔美国人参与健康研究的障碍。我们采用以社区和患者为中心的方法，创建并分发了一份面向患者的调查问卷，以确定阿拉伯/中东和北非裔美国人参与研究的障碍。通过与利益相关者就研究工具开发和参与者招募定期举行会议并开展合作，我们创建了一项新颖的定量调查（2023年4月至5月），以确定影响阿拉伯/中东和北非裔美国人参与健康研究的障碍，并探索他们在医疗保健领域的经历以及改进机会。该调查工具评估了对研究的兴趣，以及参与临床研究的动机和障碍。使用描述性统计和逻辑回归模型对数据进行了定量分析。共有149名受访者在两个结果上均无缺失值。研究样本大多受过大学教育且出生在国外。超过四分之三的受访者（77.5%）认为他们了解健康研究是什么，而略少于四分之三的受访者（72.5%）表示未来愿意参与健康研究。那些出生在国外、收入水平较低（<6.5万美元）、英语水平低或文化适应程度低的人报告了解健康研究是什么的可能性较小。参与研究的促进因素包括相信参与会改善健康、为科学做贡献的想法、如果有金钱补偿以及如果可以随时退出参与。这些数据进一步增进了我们对阿拉伯/中东和北非裔美国人参与健康研究的舒适度的了解，并有助于为未来的干预措施提供参考。移民和社会人口因素与参与的知识和意愿相关，一些理想因素包括改善社区健康的愿望也是如此。
