Abstract B083: Black men's willingness to participate in prostate cancer clinical trials: Demystifying clinical trial activities through the MiCaP Research Digest study
Authors: Fathi Parisa , Walsh-Childers Kim , Odedina Folakemi 
Published: January 2023

Introduction: According to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Control Blueprint, one of the reasons for the underrepresentation of minorities in clinical trials (CTs) is lack of engagement and effective recruitment of minoritized populations. This has inadvertently impacted the willingness of minorities to participate in CTs. The Minority Prostate Cancer (MiCaP) Research Digest is a dissemination platform that shares the latest scientific discoveries about prostate cancer (CaP) research, targeting Black men (BM), a population that is historically difficult to enroll in CTs. This study explored the willingness of BM in participating in various CTs. Methods: BM between the ages of 35 and 70 years who reside in the U.S. and have internet access were invited to enroll in the MiCaP study. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group exposed to the research digest (video and educational materials about a research study and CT) and a control group. Enrolled participants completed baseline and follow-up surveys with questions focused on willingness to participate in CTs. Descriptive statistics was employed to compare the groups on baseline and follow-up responses. Results: Majority of participants were US-born BM (93.06%), single (49.52%), attended/graduated college (35.65%), between 60 and 69 years (25.58%), had full-time employment (52.07%), had household income between 20,000 and 39,999 (21.66%) and live in urban setting (75.46%). However, only about 35% had read or heard about clinical trials within the last year. Only 14% reported they had been asked to participate in CTs within the last year, and more than 70% indicated that they would participate asked. Participants were asked to state the type of CT activity they would be willing to participate in within the next year. For the intervention group, the percentage of participants willing to participate in CTs increased for almost all activities (except major surgery). There were also slight increases in the Control group with the largest increase in being on a limited or restricted diet (+8.53%). Over 70% of all participants were willing to participate in trials that involved giving blood, doing exercises, being interviewed in person or by phone, completing a survey, being on limited diets and taking pills. Interestingly, undergoing minor surgery had the largest increase relative to CT participation (+6.9%). Participants were also asked to express their perceived behavioral control (BC) by indicating the ease of participating in CTs and finding information about CaP. As expected, the percentage of intervention group participants with high BC (selected very easy or easy) increased from baseline to follow up. Conclusion: With appropriate engagement and culturally responsive educational materials, BM are receptive to participating in a variety of CT activities. It is however important to note that the Black population is ethnically and culturally diverse, and thus the engagement and education should be tailored based on the men’s needs, ethnicity, and cultural views.

Citation Format: Parisa Fathi, Kim Walsh-Childers, Folakemi Odedina. Black men's willingness to participate in prostate cancer clinical trials: Demystifying clinical trial activities through the MiCaP Research Digest study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B083.