Recruitment and Retention of South Asian Ethnic Minority Populations in Behavioral Interventions to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Outcomes.
South Asian (SA) immigrants have a higher burden of type 2 diabetes, report poor self-management, and remain a hard-to-engage group in behavioral interventions. The purpose of this review was to characterize recruitment and retention of SAs in behavioral interventions.



We identified 14 studies with limited information regarding recruitment and retention. Overall recruitment rates were low: 12 studies had a mean recruitment rate of 44% among those screened, and 9 studies with complete information on eligibility had a mean recruitment rate of 65.8% among those eligible. Mean retention rate was 79.4% across all 14 studies. Although unstandardized and inconsistent reporting limited our ability to draw any conclusions regarding the best strategies to maximize recruitment and retention, we were able to highlight some novel and effective strategies. There is a need for consistent and standardized reporting of recruitment and retention-related information to encourage meaningful research and guide researchers in efficient allocation of resources and a successful conclusion of future interventions.
Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of British Columbia, DHCC #10211, 2775 Laurel Street, 10th Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada.
Bushra
B
Mahmood
Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of British Columbia, DHCC #10211, 2775 Laurel Street, 10th Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada.
Rowshanak
R
Afshar
Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of British Columbia, DHCC #10211, 2775 Laurel Street, 10th Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada. tricia.tang@vch.ca.
Tricia S
TS
Tang
D001208:Asia; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D018579:Patient Selection; D040841:Resource Allocation
Bangladeshi; Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Indian; Pakistani; Recruitment; Retention; South Asian