Recruiting and retaining minority women: findings from the Women on the Move study

To describe the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of women participating in the Women on the Move study, a physical activity validation study targeting urban minority women aged 40 to 70 years.

The intensive 15-day validation protocol included ingestion of doubly labeled water (2H2 18O), collection of 9 urine samples, completion of multiple physical activity surveys, including selected questions from the BRFSS and NHANES III, wearing an accelerometer, and completing a detailed diary of physical activity for 7 days. The follow-up interview included completion of more questionnaires, followed by measurement of resting metabolic rate. In planning for recruitment, enrollment, and retention of participants, investigators consulted with a community advisory board and conducted focus groups with members of the target communities and with key community leaders.

Recruitment methods included print, television, and radio advertisements and presentations at community health fairs, churches, and health clinics.

Of the 656 women who expressed interest in the study, 386 (59%) met eligibility criteria, and 260 were enrolled (130 Latina, 130 African-American). To retain participants in the study, investigators had intensive telephone contact with the participants, scheduled meetings at times and locations convenient for the participants, used bilingual and bicultural staff, and offered participants staged monetary payments. Of the women enrolled, the retention for the meetings that could happen at more convenient locations was 98.8% and for the required meeting at a central location it was 85.4%.

Experience from the Women on the Move study suggests that by working with community members, Latina and African-American women can be successfully recruited and, through extensive contact, retained, even in research studies with demanding protocols.