Cancer Research Participation Beliefs and Behaviors of a Southern Black Population: A Quantitative Analysis of the Role of Structural Factors in Cancer Research Participation.
Increasing the participation of Blacks in cancer research is a vital component of a strategy to reduce racial inequities in cancer burden. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is especially well-suited to advancing our knowledge of factors that influence research participation to ultimately address cancer-related health inequities. A paucity of literature focuses on the role of structural factors limiting participation in cancer research. As part of a larger CBPR project, we used survey data from a statewide cancer needs assessment of a Black faith community to examine the influence of structural factors on attitudes toward research and the contributions of both structural and attitudinal factors on whether individuals participate in research. Regression analyses and non-parametric statistics were conducted on data from 727 adult survey respondents. Structural factors, such as having health insurance coverage, experiencing discrimination during health care encounters, and locale, predicted belief in the benefits, but not the risks, of research participation. Positive attitudes toward research predicted intention to participate in cancer research. Significant differences in structural and attitudinal factors were found between cancer research participants and non-participants; however, directionality is confounded by the cross-sectional survey design and causality cannot be determined. This study points to complex interplay of structural and attitudinal factors on research participation as well as need for additional quantitative examinations of the various types of factors that influence research participation in Black communities.
Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA, farrde@email.sc.edu.
Deeonna E
DE
Farr
Heather M
HM
Brandt
Kimberly D
KD
Comer
Dawnyéa D
DD
Jackson
Kinjal
K
Pandya
Daniela B
DB
Friedman
John R
JR
Ureda
Deloris G
DG
Williams
Dolores B
DB
Scott
Wanda
W
Green
James R
JR
Hébert
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology*; D033303:Protestantism; D063505:Racism; D035842:Research Subjects / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015144:Southeastern United States; D055815:Young Adult