Challenges and opportunities in recruiting and retaining underrepresented populations into health promotion research.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate how recruitment strategies and program characteristics interact with participant characteristics to influence recruitment and retention in an exercise intervention study targeted to African American and White older adults with multiple chronic illnesses.


METHODS
Characteristics of 273 referrals and 103 enrollees were analyzed in conjunction with programmatic decisions about recruitment design and eligibility criteria.


RESULTS
Eligible participants who did not enroll were younger and more likely to be under 60 and to self-report having diabetes. After 1 year, 70% of the enrolled participants remained in the program. Program attrition was not associated with randomization, race, or chronic illness but was associated with functional status, having a high school degree, and program site.


CONCLUSIONS
Program design decisions can significantly influence the participation of underrepresented populations in exercise health promotion programs for older adults. In particular, group-specific efforts targeted to recruiting and retaining African Americans can be successful.
Warren-Findlow
Jan
J
School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 60612, USA.
Prohaska
Thomas R
TR
Freedman
David
D
D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015444:Exercise; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D018579:Patient Selection; D012107:Research Design; D044465:White People / Q000193:education*