Promoting Retention

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the capability of a research volunteer registry to retain community-dwelling African American older adults, and to explore demographic and health factors associated with retention. Method: A logistic regression model was used to determine the influence of demographics, health factors, and registry logic model activities on retention in a sample of 1,730 older African American adults. Results: Almost 80% of participants active in the volunteer research registry between January 2012 and June 2015 were retained. Employment, being referred to research studies, a higher number of medical conditions, and more follow-up contacts were associated with an increased likelihood of retention. Older age, more months in the registry, and more mobility problems decreased the likelihood of retention. Discussion: These results suggest the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research logic model promotes retention through involving older African American adults in research through study referrals and intensive follow-up. The loss of participants due to age- and mobility-related issues indicate the registry may be losing its most vulnerable participants.

Conceptual and Empirical Approaches to Financial Decision-making by Older Adults: Results from a Financial Decision-making Rating Scale

“…First, more than 100 participants were directly recruited from the Healthier Black Elders Participant Registry, which is part of the University of Michigan-Wayne State University NIA P30 Resource Center for Minority Aging Research. This required additional approval from the Healthier Black Elders Community Advisory Board (see Hall et al, 2016, for details on recruitment and retention of registry members). Second, the first author gave a number of presentations to groups of older adults across a wide variety of locations and settings (e.g.…”

“You Have to Be Part of the Process”: A Qualitative Analysis of Older African American Men’s Primary Care Communication and Participation

“…Selecting a sample of participants from an existing research registry helped to more quickly establish trust and rapport, as participants were aware that only researchers with approved and vetted studies through the registry would have access to their contact information for research purposes. Many registry participants were accustomed to and comfortable with phone-based research participation due to advanced age, lack of transportation, and flexibility in scheduling (Hall et al, 2016). Participants provided verbal consent over the phone to be interviewed and recorded by phone; participants’ consent was audio-recorded.…”

Building and Sustaining a Community Advisory Board of African American Older Adults as the Foundation for Volunteer Research Recruitment and Retention in Health Sciences.

“…Still, researchers across the biomedical and socio-behavioral health spectrum continue to report challenges in implementing the types of community outreach, partnership, and trust-building that are necessary to recruit and retain African American research participants to their studies. [13][14][15][16] The Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR) has demonstrated success with recruiting and retaining thousands of older African Americans into research studies 17,18 by fostering an active community advisory board (CAB), engaging in frequent and targeted community outreach, and partnering with stakeholders invested in the health of African American older adults. Our objective for this article is to describe these strategies with an emphasis on the defining role that the CAB plays as gatekeepers of community-engaged research efforts.…”