title: Methods and baseline characteristics of two group-randomized trials with multiracial and multiethnic working-class samples.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few papers address the methodological challenges in recruiting participants for studies of cancer prevention interventions designed for multiracial and multiethnic working-class populations. This paper reports the results of the sample selection and survey methods for two group-randomized intervention studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The two group-randomized intervention studies, Healthy Directions-Small Business (HD-SB) and Healthy Directions-Health Centers (HD-HC), included a worksite-based study in 26 small manufacturing businesses and a study in 10 outpatient health centers. We used selection and recruitment methods to obtain a multiracial and multiethnic working-class study sample. In 2000 and 2001, we assessed baseline measures of sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral outcomes by self-report. We then computed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1740 participants in the HD-SB study, 68% were non-Hispanic whites, and 76% had working-class occupations. In the HD-HC study, 59% of 2219 participants were non-Hispanic whites. Among those who worked, 51% had working-class occupations. Large percentages of both samples reported not meeting recommended guidelines for the target behaviors. For example, 86% of members of both samples consumed fewer than the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The ICCs for the four target behaviors in HD-SB were between 0.006 and 0.02. In the HD-HC study, the ICCs ranged from 0.0004 to 0.003.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The two studies were successful in recruiting multiracial and multiethnic working-class participants. Researchers will find the estimates of the primary outcomes and their ICCs useful for planning future studies.
authors.affiliation: New England Research Institutes, 9 Galen St, Watertown, MA 02472, USA. astoddard@neriscience.com
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Stoddard
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Barbeau
authors.forename: Gary G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Martha E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fay
authors.forename: Glorian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sorensen
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Emmons
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D018579:Patient Selection; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D044465:White People