Novel Method for Recruiting Representative At-Risk Individuals into Cancer Prevention Trials: Online Health Risk Assessment in Employee Wellness Programs.
Participation in cancer prevention trials (CPT) is lower than 3 % among high-risk healthy individuals, and racial/ethnic minorities are the most under-represented. Novel recruitment strategies are therefore needed. Online health risk assessment (HRA) serves as a gateway component of nearly all employee wellness programs (EWPs) and may be a missed opportunity. This study aimed to explore employees' interest, willingness, motivators, and barriers of releasing their HRA responses to an external secure research database for recruitment purpose. We used qualitative research methods (focus group and individual interviews) to examine employees' interest and willingness in releasing their online HRA responses to an external, secure database to register as potential CPT participants. Fifteen structured interviews (40 % of study participants were of racial/ethnic minority) were conducted, and responses reached saturation after four interviews. All employees showed interest and willingness to release their online HRA responses to register as a potential CPT participant. Content analyses revealed that 91 % of participants were motivated to do so, and the major motivators were to (1) obtain help in finding personally relevant prevention trials, (2) help people they know who are affected by cancer, and/or (3) increase knowledge about CPT. A subset of participants (45 %) expressed barriers of releasing their HRA responses due to concerns about credibility and security of the external database. Online HRA may be a feasible but underutilized recruitment method for cancer prevention trials. EWP-sponsored HRA shows promise for the development of a large, centralized registry of racially/ethnically representative CPT potential participants.
Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple University Health System, 333 Cottman Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA. hui925@gmail.com.
Siu-Kuen Azor
0000-0002-9668-3912
SK
Hui
Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple University Health System, 333 Cottman Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA.
Suzanne M
SM
Miller
Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple University Health System, 333 Cottman Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA.
Leah
L
Hazuda
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 1008, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA.
Kimberly
K
Engelman
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 1008, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA.
Edward F
EF
Ellerbeck
D000328:Adult; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D018579:Patient Selection; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
Cancer clinical trials; Cancer prevention trials; Cancer risk registry; Clinical trial recruitment; Electronic health data transfer; Employee wellness program; Health communication; Online health risk assessment; Recruitment strategy