Abstract B126: Enhancing awareness to improve recruitment of African American cancer survivors to a randomized controlled trial of a diet and exercise intervention
Authors: Pisu Maria , Omairi Iman , Schoenberger Yu-Mei M. , Demark-Wahnefried Wendy , Oster Robert A. , Fowke Jay H. , Martin Michelle Y. 
Published: September 2024

Background: Increasing awareness about research may improve willingness of African American (AA) cancer survivors to participate in clinical trials. Unknown are what types of strategies, information, and perspectives, are best harnessed and then implemented. Methods: Using a factorial-design randomized trial we tested 8 Awareness Enhancing Interventions (AWEI) to recruit survivors to a web-based diet and physical activity clinical trial (AMPLIFY). In this trial, cancer survivors 50+ received a recruitment letter followed by a recruitment call which screened them for eligibility, if willing. AA cancer survivors were randomized to receipt of the recruitment letter only (control) vs. AWEI. The 8 AWEI delivered similar content but varied in strategy, information emphasis, and perspective: 1) Brochure (BR), research emphasis, survivor perspective, 2) BR, research emphasis, researcher perspective; 3) BR, study-specific emphasis, survivor perspective; 4) BR, study-specific emphasis, researcher perspective; 5) Research educator phone call (RE), research emphasis, survivor perspective, 6) RE, research emphasis, researcher perspective; 7) RE, study-specific emphasis, survivor perspective; 8) RE, study-specific emphasis, researcher perspective. The primary outcome, measured at the time of the AMPLIFY recruitment call, was willingness to be SCREENED for eligibility. Significant differences in the proportion screened by strategy, information emphasis, and perspective were tested using Chi-square tests. Results: 4,451 AA cancer survivors were randomized; 58% female, 53% 65 +, 69% 2+ years from diagnosis, 36% breast, 31% prostate and 33% other obesity-related cancers. Overall, AMPLIFY recruiters reached 38.4% (38% AWEI, 38% control) by phone. In intention to treat analyses, among those reached, 31.6% in AWEI (all combined) vs. 27.5% in control (p=0.140) were SCREENED. Within AWEI, SCREENED were 31.5% for RE vs. 31.7% for BR (p=0.335), 32.2% research vs. 31% study specific information emphasis (p=0.301), and 32.2% researcher vs. 30.9% survivor perspective (p=0.295). In the RE arm, educators were able to fully/partially deliver the AWEI to 24% survivors. Among them, 54.3% were reached by the AMPLIFY recruiter, and among them, SCREENED were 52.6% research vs. 50% study specific information (p=0.714), and 49.6% researcher vs. 52.7% survivor perspective (p=0.650). Conclusion: Research awareness-enhancing interventions did not increase the willingness of African American cancer survivors to be assessed for eligibility for a cancer research study. Although less feasible, interventions fully or partially delivered by research educators were more successful. To increase participation of diverse populations in research, while increasing awareness may be important, it may not be sufficient.

Citation Format: Maria Pisu, Iman Omairi, Yu-Mei M. Schoenberger, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried,, Robert A. Oster, Jay H. Fowke, Michelle Y. Martin. Enhancing awareness to improve recruitment of African American cancer survivors to a randomized controlled trial of a diet and exercise intervention [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B126.