Recruitment and Retention Strategies Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Web-Based Intervention Trials: Retrospective Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Background Racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented in health research, contributing to persistent health disparities in the United States. Identifying effective recruitment and retention strategies among minority groups and their subpopulations is an important research agenda. Web-based intervention approaches are becoming increasingly popular with the ubiquitous use of the internet. However, it is not completely clear which recruitment and retention strategies have been successful in web-based intervention trials targeting racial and ethnic minorities. Objective This study aims to describe lessons learned in recruiting and retaining one of the understudied ethnic minority women—Korean Americans—enrolled in a web-based intervention trial and to compare our findings with the strategies reported in relevant published web-based intervention trials. Methods Multiple sources of data were used to address the objectives of this study, including the study team’s meeting minutes, participant tracking and contact logs, survey reports, and postintervention interviews. In addition, an electronic search involving 2 databases (PubMed and CINAHL) was performed to identify published studies using web-based interventions. Qualitative analysis was then performed to identify common themes addressing recruitment and retention strategies across the trials using web-based intervention modalities. Results A total of 9 categories of recruitment and retention strategies emerged: authentic care; accommodation of time, place, and transportation; financial incentives; diversity among the study team; multiple, yet standardized modes of communication; mobilizing existing community relationships with efforts to build trust; prioritizing features of web-based intervention; combined use of web-based and direct recruitment; and self-directed web-based intervention with human support. Although all the studies included in the analysis combined multiple strategies, prioritizing features of web-based intervention or use of human support were particularly relevant for promoting recruitment and retention of racial and ethnic minorities in web-based intervention trials. Conclusions The growing prevalence of internet use among racial and ethnic minority populations represents an excellent opportunity to design and deliver intervention programs via the internet. Future research should explore and compare successful recruitment and retention methods among race and ethnic groups for web-based interventions. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03726619; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03726619.

Supporting equitable engagement and retention of women patients in a trauma-informed virtual mental health intervention: Acceptability and needed adaptations.

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“…Efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in PTSD treatment initiation, retention, and outcomes have explored using telemental health to address access barriers (Bennett et al, 2014; Doss et al, 2016; Napolitano et al, 2021). Yet, studies on telehealth interventions seldom recruit representative samples of racial and ethnic minority groups or report a wide range of retention rates, making it difficult to understand and address disparities (Hwang et al, 2021; James et al, 2017). Additionally, expansion of telehealth infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic made disparities regarding access to and usage of virtual care more evident.…”

Trial Forge Guidance 3: randomised trials and how to recruit and retain individuals from ethnic minority groups—practical guidance to support better practice

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The impact of anti-Asian racism on routine activities and mental health among Korean American older adults and their caregivers

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