Understanding Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander participants' attitudes toward research: CARE research recruitment registry

• Published in: Alzheimer's & dementia Vol. 19; no. S23
• Main Authors: Park, Van Ta, Hoffmann, Thomas J., Tsoh, Janice Y., Meyer, Oanh L., Nam, Bora, Tzuang, Marian, Kanaya, Alka, Hinton, Ladson, Gallagher‐Thompson, Dolores, Vuong, Quyen, Kim, David, Grill, Joshua D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2023
• DOI: 10.1002/alz.074862
• ISSN: 1552-5260

Background Recruitment science includes the need for greater elucidation of barriers to participation as well as identification of factors, such as attitudes toward research, that can be addressed to improve recruitment outcomes. This is especially important in populations, such as Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), who are significantly underrepresented in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) research. We examined the Collaborative Approach for AANHPI Research and Education (CARE) research recruitment registry participants’ attitudes toward research. Method Upon enrollment, all CARE participants (n = 9,405 as of 10/2/22) were invited to complete a 7‐item Research Attitude Questionnaire (RAQ) with 5‐point Likert‐scale responses. RAQ scores range from 7‐35, with higher scores indicating more positive research attitudes. Cronbach’s α was 0.93 (and >0.91 in all language subgroups). Favorable scores were dichotomized at ³ 28. Result Of 6,793 participants (response rate: 68%) completing the RAQ, the median age of participants was 54y (interquartile range (IQR) = 38‐66y), including 2,028 middle‐aged (50‐64y) and 1,970 older (≥65y) who may be targeted groups for ADRD research. Overall, 14.2% (n = 968) reported having ADRD (median age = 66; IQR = 57‐73). Among the 1,766 caregivers (median age = 45, IQR = 36‐54), 6.5% were ADRD caregivers (n = 115). The major ethnic groups were Vietnamese (39.4%), Chinese (24.0%), Korean (15.8%), Asian Indian (5.3%), Japanese (2.9%), and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (4.6%). A total of 84.9% were foreign‐born, and 50.8% had limited English proficiency (LEP). Nearly two‐third of the respondents (63.9%) had less than favorable attitudes toward research. Preliminary findings indicate that women, Vietnamese Americans, immigrants to the US, and those with LEP had significantly less favorable attitudes toward research compared to their counterparts (Table 1). Conclusion Unfavorable attitudes toward research may be a frequent, but potentially modifiable, barrier to research participation among AANHPI populations. Certain subpopulations (e.g., those with LEP) may require more tailored and resource intensive engagement to increase their participation. Through enhanced understanding of community members’ attitudes toward research participation, investigators can better design studies to be inclusive and adapt outreach and recruitment strategies, in turn, ensuring the inclusivity, generalizability, and validity of their findings.