Recruitment of African Americans with type 2 diabetes to a randomized controlled trial using three sources

To assess the usefulness of three sources (faith-based organizations (FBOs), health system, and community) for recruitment of African Americans with type 2 diabetes to a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

African Americans with type 2 diabetes were recruited to a diabetes self-management program at four FBO sites. An observational study of a multifaceted recruitment strategy to enroll subjects in the RCT that evaluated the effectiveness of a diabetes self-management program and the effect of recruitment source on retention after enrollment. Self-administered demographic surveys and weekly class attendance records were collected.

Of 184 interested individuals, 109 (59.2%) were enrolled. Of those enrolled, 60.6% recruited through the health system, 13.8% FBOs, and 19.2% the community. The highest yield was achieved through the health system. However, for both the intervention (I) and control (C) groups, respectively, participants recruited from FBOs (85.7% I; 62.5% C) were more likely to attend four or more sessions than those from the health system (75.0% I; 43.3% C) and community (55.6% I; 25.0% C). Despite similar class size, participants in the intervention group (74.5%; n = 41) were more likely to attend four or more of the seven classes than those in the delayed intervention (control group) (40.7%; n = 22).

The findings suggest that African American adults with diabetes can be successfully recruited and retained in a racially targeted RCT conducted in FBOs. Key elements to consider are the use of a multifaceted approach for participant recruitment, particularly the benefit of health system physician involvement in recruitment since the highest yield was achieved through health system providers, and importance of site location for retention.