title: Recruitment for health disparities preventive intervention trials: the early childhood caries collaborating centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Four trials of interventions designed to prevent early childhood caries are using community-engagement strategies to improve recruitment of low-income, racial/ethnic minority participants. The trials are being implemented by 3 centers funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and known as the Early Childhood Caries Collaborating Centers (EC4): the Center for Native Oral Health Research at the University of Colorado, the Center to Address Disparities in Children's Oral Health at the University of California San Francisco, and the Center for Research to Evaluate and Eliminate Dental Disparities at Boston University.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The community contexts for the EC4 trials include urban public housing developments, Hispanic communities near the US-Mexican border, and rural American Indian reservations. These communities have a high prevalence of early childhood caries, suggesting the need for effective, culturally acceptable interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each center's intervention(s) used community-based participatory research approaches, identified community partners, engaged the community through various means, and developed communication strategies to enhance recruitment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 3 centers have completed recruitment. Each center implemented several new strategies and approaches to enhance recruitment efforts, such as introducing new communication techniques, using media such as radio and newspapers to spread awareness about the studies, and hosting community gatherings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using multiple strategies that build trust in the community, are sensitive to cultural norms, and are adaptable to the community environment can enhance recruitment in underserved communities.
authors.affiliation: Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. 13055 E 17th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045. E-mail tamanna.tiwari@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Tamanna
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.affiliation: Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Alana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casciello
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco, School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Gansky
authors.affiliation: Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Henshaw
authors.affiliation: University of California Los Angeles, School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramos-Gomez
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco, School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.affiliation: Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Raul I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albino
authors.affiliation: Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Terrence S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Batliner
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D001900:Boston; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003120:Colorado; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018865:Dental Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D054584:National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (U.S.); D018579:Patient Selection; D012495:San Francisco; D014481:United States
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