Racial and ethnic differences in older adults’ willingness to be contacted about Alzheimer's disease research participation

Abstract

Introduction: We sought to examine the association of race/ethnicity with willingness to engage in studies that involve procedures typical of Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials and determine whether any observed differences could be explained by research attitudes. Methods: We studied 2749 adults aged ≥50 years who enrolled in a community-based recruitment registry. Results: Compared to non-Hispanic (NH) whites (n = 2393, 87%), Hispanics (n = 191, 7%), NH Asians (n = 129, 5%) and NH blacks (n = 36, 1%) were 44%, 46%, and 64% less willing, respectively, to be contacted for studies that have requirements typical of AD prevention trials, namely: cognitive testing, brain imaging, blood draws, and investigational medications. Mediation by research attitudes was explored, but did not explain the observed differences. Discussion: Our findings suggest that ethnoracial minorities are less willing to engage in studies that are typical of AD prevention trials. Future work should focus on understanding the factors that drive these differences.