Recruiting African American Children for Research: An Ecological Systems Theory Approach

Abstract

With health disparities still pervasive and persistent in the United States, medical researchers and social scientists continue to develop recruitment strategies to increase the inclusion of racial/ethnic minority groups in research and interventions. Effective methods for recruiting samples of African American participants for pediatric research may be best understood when situated within an overarching conceptual model-one that serves to organize and explain effective recruitment strategies. A theoretical framework well suited for this purpose is Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, which views individuals as influencing and being influenced by (both directly and indirectly) a series of interconnected social systems. Based on the ecological systems theory and on previous research from multiple domains (e.g., medicine, psychology, public health, social work), in the current article, we review strategies for effective recruitment of African American children and adolescents for research.

Fidelity of a peer‐led asthma self‐management intervention and its attention control in a multisite study of urban adolescents

“…Lessening commitment over time in youth leaders reportedly leads to suboptimal program sustainability (Trude et al, ). Among adolescents, research tasks often take lower priority than activities that are developmentally more aligned with their prime concerns such as school, sports, or a job (Grape et al, ; Graves & Sheldon, ). These competing priorities of peer leaders have been recognized as a challenge to sustainability or long‐term follow‐up of youth‐led health programs (Bell, Audrey, Cooper, Noble, & Campbell, ; Trude et al, ).…”

“…We observed that peer leaders with early failed contact attempts seemed discouraged and were less assertive in their later contact efforts. Also, some peer leaders were overwhelmed by the additional contact assignments made to cover for peer leaders often take lower priority than activities that are developmentally more aligned with their prime concerns such as school, sports, or a job Graves & Sheldon, 2018). These competing priorities of peer leaders have been recognized as a challenge to sustainability or long-term follow-up of youth-led health programs (Bell, Audrey, Cooper, Noble, & Campbell, 2017;Trude et al, 2018).…”

“…Although peer leaders attended a booster training session 6 months after camp, it did not increase bimonthly contact success. The decline in successful contacts may also reflect the challenges associated with poverty (Aguirre, Koehler, Joshi, & Wilhelm, ; Graves & Sheldon, ), as some participants moved from their homes or changed or lost phone numbers and contacts. Both changes, in home location and phone numbers, made subsequent contacts more challenging and sometimes impossible.…”

Operationalization of the Ecological Systems Theory to Guide the Study of Cultural Practices and Beliefs of Newborn Care in Rural Zambia

“…The ecological systems theory is well established in nursing (Ayoola, 2017;Graves & Sheldon, 2018;Maldonado, 2017;Olsen et al, 2017) and other disciplines (Ashaba et al, 2017;Chomat, 2016;Coetzee et al, 2015) and is used in various methodologies. Onwuegbuzie et al (2013) conceptualized how Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems model could be mapped onto the research process representing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research, and it is applicable across the social, behavioral, and health fields.…”

A Feasibility Study of Muslim Cancer Survivors’ Experience in the United States: Recruitment and Data Collection

“…The ecological system theory by Bronfenbrenner (1979Bronfenbrenner ( , 1989 was used as theoretical framework to guide the recruitment and data collection processes of this study. Previous studies have used this framework to improve recruitment and retention in minority and underserved populations (Graves & Sheldon, 2017;Hines-Martin, Speck, Stetson, & Looney, 2009). According to Bronfenbrenner, individuals live and interact with each other and their environments.…”