title: Research engagement among black men with prostate cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Black men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer (PCa) and often present with more aggressive disease. Nevertheless, black men are consistently underrepresented in research studies. We aimed to get more insight into the reasons for this reduced recruitment, as it is important for future research to include results that are also applicable to black men with PCa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two focus groups (n= 10 andn= 6) of black males currently under treatment for PCa at Guys Hospital, London, UK were held to gather information regarding the understanding of and exposure to research, as well as the barriers and facilitators for recruitment into research studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Barriers to recruitment included; mistrust of researchers, lack of understanding of the research process and the mechanisms of PCa and a reliance on herbal medicine. Suggested facilitators for recruitment improvement included thorough explanations of the research process, media advertisement and word of mouth. Financial incentives were also discussed but received mixed reception.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We uncovered a number of barriers to recruitment of black men with PCa into research and accompanying strategies for improving involvement. Many are consistent with the literature, emphasising that current efforts have not been successful in ameliorating the concerns of the black community. Beliefs in herbal medicine and aversion to financial incentives appear to be novel themes, and so further insight into these issues could prove beneficial.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Division of Cancer Studies, Cancer Epidemiology Group, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toms
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Division of Cancer Studies, Cancer Epidemiology Group, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Fidelma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cahill
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Division of Cancer Studies, Cancer Epidemiology Group, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Gincy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Division of Cancer Studies, Cancer Epidemiology Group, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Hemelrijck
keywords: black ethnicity; consent; prostate cancer