title: Recruitment and retention strategies of African American and Latina American breast cancer survivors in a longitudinal psycho-oncology study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe recruitment and retention strategies of a psychosocial intervention with African American and Latina American breast cancer survivors (BCSs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective design with pre- and post-testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mailed survey and assignment to telephone counseling or education booklet only.
  
  
  METHODS
  587 African American and Latina American BCSs were recruited.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample was drawn from the population-based California cancer and hospital registries, as well as community agencies. Mailed self-report health-related quality-of-life assessments were at baseline and 4-6 months follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Accrual outcomes; recruitment and retention strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 375 (64%) completed the baseline survey and 320 (55%) completed both baseline and follow-up assessments. The recruitment outcomes suggest that very special attention must be paid to the initial recruitment of Latina Americans to engage their interest and participation. For African Americans, particular attention must be devoted to their retention to address potential attrition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that the inclusion of lower-income and ethnic minority cancer survivors in a longitudinal intervention study is doable. The results indicate that recruitment outcomes are influenced by participant and study characteristics. Successful enrollment requires investigations that attend to culturally and socioecologically informed recruitment and retention strategies, from staff selection, training, and supervision to overall study approach protocol, to address barriers to participation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nursing research and practice have championed survivorship care, including psychosocial care. This article outlines practical strategies to recruit and retain population-based samples, ethnic minorities, and underserved survivors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Sciences, Center of Community Alliance for Research and Education, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA. kashing@coh.org
authors.forename: Kimlin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ashing-Giwa
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosales
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation; D018579:Patient Selection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D013689:Telephone; D055815:Young Adult