title: Delivering a "dose of hope": a faith-based program to increase older african americans' participation in clinical trials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Underrepresentation of older-age racial and ethnic minorities in clinical research is a significant barrier to health in the United States, as it impedes medical research advancement of effective preventive and therapeutic strategies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to develop and test the feasibility of a community-developed faith-based intervention and evaluate its potential to increase the number of older African Americans in clinical research.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a cluster-randomized design, we worked with six matched churches to enroll at least 210 persons. We provided those in the intervention group churches with three educational sessions on the role of clinical trials in addressing health disparity topics, and those in the comparison group completed surveys at the same timepoints. All persons enrolled in the study received ongoing information via newsletters and direct outreach on an array of clinical studies seeking participants. We evaluated the short-, mid-, and longer-term effects of the interventional program on clinical trial-related outcomes (ie, screening and enrollment).
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 2012 to 2013, we enrolled a balanced cohort of 221 persons in the program. At a 3-month follow-up, mean intention to seek information about clinical trials was higher than baseline in both treatment (mu=7.5/10; sigma=3.1) and control arms (mu=6.6/10; sigma=3.3), with the difference more pronounced in the treatment arm. The program demonstrated strong retention at 3-month (95.4%, 211/221) and 6-month timepoints (94.1%, 208/221).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The "Dose of Hope" program addressed an unmet need to reach an often overlooked audience of older African Americans who are members of churches and stimulate their interest in clinical trial participation. The program demonstrated its appeal in the delivery of effective messages and information about health disparities, and the role of clinical research in addressing these challenges.
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA, United States. pfrew@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Paula M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3078-9124
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Frew
authors.forename: Saad B
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5383-3474
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Omer
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8468-4811
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3232-0880
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.forename: Jay
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0038-0686
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schamel
authors.forename: Eve
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8084-4921
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8403-9257
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Diane
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7482-246X
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saint-Victor
authors.forename: Sahithi
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0500-4206
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boggavarapu
authors.forename: Nikia
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3511-6567
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Braxton
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5801-2587
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Archibald
authors.forename: Ameeta S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3556-1786
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kalokhe
authors.forename: Takeia
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3731-1609
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horton
authors.forename: Christin M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0095-9559
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Root
authors.forename: Vincent L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9828-6059
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Fenimore
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9656-7228
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Anderson
keywords: African Americans; churches; clinical trials; health disparities; study recruitment