Predictors of non-arrival at initial study screening visits among Black adults: Data from the GoFresh trials

Trial recruitment is a major determinant of study success, and participants' non-arrival at study visits represents a significant barrier to study completion. Little is known about the participant and study process characteristics associated with visit non-arrival.

To investigate factors associated with non-arrival at initial in-person screening visits in two ongoing randomized controlled trials.

The Groceries for Black Residents of Boston to Stop Hypertension trials (GoFresh and GoFreshRx) studied whether home-delivered, DASH-patterned groceries can reduce blood pressure among Black adults living in urban food priority areas. In this analysis, we examined sociodemographic and study-related factors associated with participant non-arrival at their initial study visit (defined as rescheduling or not showing up at all). Associations were determined using logistic regression with adjustment for age, estimated gender, and hypertension treatment status.

Among 2224 participants (mean age = 44.0 years, 72.5 % women), the non-arrival rate at screening visit 1 was 29.5 %. Older participants were more likely to arrive, while those with larger families and a longer duration between initial contact and visit were less likely to arrive. Participants' method of contacting the study, visit time, and season of visit were not associated with visit non-arrival.

In this large trial recruitment drive, older age, larger family size, and a longer time between initial contact and scheduled visit were associated with non-arrival at initial study visits. These factors represent potential targets for future interventions that either accommodate patient factors or intervene upon study process barriers to achieve timely recruitment goals.