title: Increasing minority research participation through community organization outreach.
abstract: Recruitment is one of the most significant challenges in conducting research with ethnic minority populations. Establishing relationships with organizations that serve ethnic minority communities can facilitate recruitment. To create a successful recruitment process, a strategic plan of action is necessary prior to implementing community outreach efforts. For this study population of women who were HIV+ and recovering from substance abuse disorder, the authors found that establishing trust with community organizations that serve these women allows for a productive referral relationship. Although the majority of women in this study are African American, the authors were particularly challenged in recruiting Hispanic women. This article presents a recruitment process model that has facilitated our recruitment efforts and has helped the authors to organize, document, and evaluate their community out-reach strategies. This model can be adopted and adapted by nurses and other health researchers to enhance engagement of minority populations.
authors.affiliation: Nova Southeastern University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Davie, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Roger A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vasquez
authors.forename: Carla C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Mayorga
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Feaster
authors.forename: Victoria B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Mitrani
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology*; D000465:Algorithms; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D003256:Community Participation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003663:Decision Trees; D005431:Florida; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018579:Patient Selection; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration; D035844:Researcher-Subject Relations / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology; D035502:Trust; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*