Recruitment and retention of minority women in cancer screening, prevention, and treatment trials

Researchers are giving greater attention to the recruitment and retention o f minority women in clinical studies because of their historical underrepre sentation, despite their greater morbidity and mortality for many condition s. Using findings from four studies, this article examines documented barri ers to the recruitment and retention of minority women to clinical cancer r esearch and discusses effective recruitment strategies. Among the major bar riers to recruitment were lack of awareness, lack of transportation, interf erence with work/family responsibilities, financial costs, negative side ef fects, and burdensome procedures. Effective recruitment strategies focused on using culturally targeted mass mailings and media presentations based on acquiring an understanding of the minority community. Recommendations are made for further study and implementation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. A ll rights reserved.