title: Strategies for recruiting South Asian women to cancer screening research and the lessons learnt.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to describe and discuss the recruitment strategies used in a research study of cervical cancer screening among South Asian women, the challenges encountered and the lessons learnt from the experience.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Ethnic minority populations face different barriers to participating in research studies. Strategies have been developed to recruit this population to health-related research in Western countries, but there is little information about such research in the Asian region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Discussion paper.
  
  
  METHODS
  The discussion is based on our previous experience. The source of this experience is the recruitment strategies used, their results and the challenges encountered during the process.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Culturally, relevant strategies and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders improved participant recruitment. Familiarity with South Asians' traditional calendar - when cultural and religious festivals are held every year - would aid the setting up of appropriate schedules for participant recruitment, either before or after the periods when they cannot be reached, such as Ramadan. South Asian women are often busy with childcare and housework. This is their major responsibility in the family and any failure to fulfil such duties is a source of stress and may foster feelings of guilt. A better understanding of their daily routines is therefore important. Such information enables the establishment of daily meeting schedules to increase the success rate of recruitment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recruitment is a tedious process, but appropriate planning and taking account of cultural and religious practices and daily schedules will help to improve its rate of success.
authors.affiliation: The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China. dorothycns@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Dorothy N S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6848-9947
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Winnie K W
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: So
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups; D018579:Patient Selection; D012106:Research; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology
keywords: challenge; ethnic minority; nursing; recruitment; research