Background Traditional research approaches frequently fail to yield representative numbers of people of color in research. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) may be an important strategy for partnering with and reaching populations who bear a greater burden of illness but have been historically difficult to engage. A Community Action Board of 20 East Harlem residents, leaders and advocates used CBPR to compare the effectiveness of different strategies in recruiting and enrolling adults with prediabetes into a peer-led diabetes prevention intervention. Methods The Board created five different recruitment strategies: recruiting through clinicians, at large public events like farmers markets, organizing special local recruitment events, recruiting at local organizations, and a partner-led approach in which community partners developed and managed the recruitment efforts at their sites. Results In 3 months, 555 local adults were approached; 249 were appropriate candidates for further evaluation (overweight, nonpregnant, East Harlem residents without known diabetes); 179 consented and returned fasting for 1/2 day of prediabetes testing; and 99 had prediabetes and enrolled in a pilot randomized trial. The partner-led approach was most successful, recruiting 68% of people enrolled. This was also the most efficient strategy; 34% of those approached through partners were ultimately enrolled, versus 0%–17% through the other four strategies. Participants were predominantly low-income, uninsured, undereducated Spanish-speaking women. Conclusions This CBPR approach highlights the value of a partner-led recruitment to identify, reach out and motivate a vulnerable population into research, using techniques that may be unfamiliar to researchers, but are nevertheless rigorous and effective.

This descriptive study aimed to identify the impact of psychosocial risk factors on pregnancy outcomes for high risk women in an urban setting. Women in this category tend to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, like preeclampsia, at greater rates than low or medium risk women. A retrospective paper chart review of East Harlem women served by LSA Family Health Service (LSA) Maternal Outreach Program (MOP) was conducted. All women who enrolled in the MOP with a singleton pregnancy from January 2015 to December 2017, were eligible for inclusion in our analyses. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 23). Of 379 total participants, 68.6% (n=203) were Hispanic/Latina women, 44.8% (n=163) were English only speakers, 67.4% (n=226) were identified as overweight/obese, 90.6% (n=328) were mothers over the age of 20 among those for whom data were available. Sixty-two percent (n=235) initiated prenatal care in their first trimester, and 71.5% (n=271) were referred to the MOP by a hospital or other healthcare provider. The percentage of preeclampsia among mothers was 26.9% (n=102). After adjustment for type of LSA services received, and race/ethnicity, there were no associations between psychosocial risk factors and preeclampsia diagnosis in this population. Further research is needed on the relationship between psychosocial risk factors and preeclampsia to identify potential areas of intervention and reduce the burden of disease.