Research Attitudes and Interest Among Elderly Latinxs: The Impact of a Collaborative Video and Community Peers

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sewell, Margaret C.^{a; 1} | Neugroschl, Judith^{a; 1; *} | Umpierre, Mari^a | Chin, Shehan^a | Zhu, Carolyn W.^{a; b} | Velasco, Nelly^a | Gonzalez, Sabrina^c | Acabá-Berrocal, Alexandra^a | Bianchetti, Luca^d | Silva, Gabriela^a | Collazo, Alma^a | Sano, Mary^{a; b}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA | [b] Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters VAMC, Bronx, NY, USA | [c] Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA | [d] Geriatric Rehabilitation Unit, Anni Azzurri, Brescia, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Judith Neugroschl, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. E-mail: [email protected].

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Background:Latinx elders are underrepresented in dementia research. In a previous study we assessed research attitudes in urban minority elders and found a significant minority expressed neutral to negative attitudes relating to trust, safety, and personal responsibility to help research. Objective:To assess the impact of a composite intervention on attitudes toward research and research participation among elderly Latinx. The intervention was a collaboratively produced research participation video shown during presentations with our elderly community advisory board (CAB) as co-presenters. Methods:The video was created by the ADRC and CAB. All senior center attendees were eligible to participate. Afterwards, the Research Attitudes Questionnaire (RAQ) and a brief questionnaire on the impact of the video were administered. Using Wilcoxon Rank Sum Tests, Chi Square, and OLS regressions, RAQ responses were compared to those from a historical cohort from similar centers. Results:74 in the “Historical Cohort 1” and 104 in “Intervention Cohort 2” were included. RAQ total score was higher in Cohort 2 than Cohort 1 (28.5 versus 26.1, p < 0.05) after controlling for age, education, and country of origin. In response to the question “Has the video influenced your willingness and interest to participate in research”, 88.7%of the participants in Cohort 2 reported being “more” or “much more” interested in research. Conclusion:Tailoring community research recruitment programs to include relatable peers using novel recruitment techniques may have positive implications for improving enrollment of diverse elderly individuals in research.

Keywords: Attitudes towards research, diversity, elder minorities, minorities in research, research participation

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210027

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 771-779, 2021