Abstract A080: Rates of Invitation, participation, and willingness to engage in medical and clinical research: Findings from attendees at two gender-specific community-based screening programs
Authors: Ingraham Kearston L. , Packenham Joan , Harvey Demetrius , Patierno Steven , Barrett Nadine J. 
Published: August 2020

Introduction: Community-based screening programs are associated with increased access to care, particularly for traditionally underserved people of color, the poor, and those who face barriers to health care and resources. The utility of health fairs to increase access to care by providing screenings and services that include accountable and clearly articulated follow-up plans can, in part, address health disparities. Interestingly, the same populations that community-based screening programs typically serve are grossly under-represented in medical and clinical research, including biospecimen donation. Lack of diversity in medical and clinical research, including clinical trials and biobanking, has significant consequences, including lack of generalizability to broader diverse communities and limiting access to potentially life-saving and risk-reducing research.

Methodology: Funded by the NCI (P30CA014236), the Duke Cancer Institute Office of Health Equity engaged community partners to conduct a population health assessment entitled Project PLACE (Population Level Approaches to Cancer Elimination). We collected 2,315 surveys of which 232 were respondents attending two gender-specific, community-based screening programs held in April 2017 and September 2017. We assessed access and participation in clinical research and biobanking, and likelihood to participate in medical research in the future among program attendees who completed the survey. We asked the following questions via self-administered pen and paper surveys: 1. Have you ever been asked to participate in a clinical trial or medical research? 2. Did you decide to participate in the clinical trial or medical research? 3. Have you ever been asked to donate bio specimens (blood, saliva, or other tissue) for the purpose of medical research? 4. Did you decide to donate the bio specimen? 5. How likely would you be to participate in medical research in the future?

Results: Two-hundred and thirty-two (232) respondents completed the survey questions related to research participation. Thirty percent of respondents have been asked to participate in clinical research in the past, of whom 22% did participate. Twenty percent (22%) of respondents have been asked to donate bio specimens for research, of whom 16% have donated. Fifty percent (50%) of respondents report that they would or are likely to participate in medical research in the future.

Conclusions: This study highlights community-based screening programs as a viable outlet to reach and engage participants in medical and clinical research. Of note, 50% of respondents who were primarily African American/Black are likely to participate in medical research in the future. Multiple factors including the longevity of the screening programs, and the quality of partnerships and engagement between the DCI and collaborating community organizations may also influence these outcomes.

Citation Format: Kearston L. Ingraham, Joan Packenham, Demetrius Harvey, Steven Patierno, Nadine J. Barrett. Rates of Invitation, participation, and willingness to engage in medical and clinical research: Findings from attendees at two gender-specific community-based screening programs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A080.