title: Effect of timed incentives on subject participation in a study of long-term breast cancer survivors: are there ethnic differences?
abstract: The recruitment and retention of African Americans into cancer control studies presents a formidable task to the scientific and policy communities as well as patient and advocacy communities. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the role of a timed incentive schedule on response rates in a study of African American and white breast cancer survivors. A mailed quality-of-life survey battery was sent to 583 breast cancer survivors (50% African American, 50% white). Half of the participants received payment in advance, whereas the other half was promised payment. The overall response rate was 54% (n = 278). The timing of incentives did not affect participation rates in either ethnic group. About 51% of the respondents were from the payment-in-advance condition and 49% were from the paid-on-completion condition. Therefore, we conclude that payment on completion may be the more cost-effective approach in studies with higher socioeconomic status patients, such as this sample of breast cancer survivors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sceinces, University of California, Los Angeles 90024, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ashing-Giwa
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ganz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011177:Postal Service; D011788:Quality of Life; D012201:Reward; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States