Researchers have called for increasing the participation of innovative strategies and policies promoting the participation of ethnic and racial minorities in health-related research to address large and persistent health disparities. Greater representation of older minorities in health-related research will expand scientific knowledge needed to improve health status, and also enhance opportunities for reaping benefits from participation. In order to address these scientific, applied, and policy relevant issues, the MCUAAAR will use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach and life course framework in expanding its collaborative Community Liaison Core (CLC), designed to increase participation of older minorities in healthrelated research, health promotion and risk reduction, and policy dissemination activities. The CLC includes researchers, health care providers, community-based organizations, and older minorities (including their family members) working together to design, implement, and manage an action-based plan for achieving these objectives. The city of Detroit has some unique characteristics that currently make it the most appropriate location to address health disparities among older African Americans because: (1) The Detroit metropolitan region is highly segregated racially;(2) with the decline of the automobile industry, Detroit has the poorest population of any city in the United States;(3) Detroit is a low density population area with little to no public transportation;and (4) Detroit's older population live in medically underserved areas and experience a higher rate of mortality and morbidity than the rest of Michigan. The Proposed CLC, due to its maturity and experience, is in an excellent position to expand its influence on the older adult Black population in Detroit, as well as the emerging Latino population. Our prior work has noted that significant and substantive community involvement and outreach, and sustained personal contacts are most effective for recruitment and retention. Over the past five years, with the assistance of 11 Community Advisory Board members and 10 Senior aide volunteers, the CLC community programs have become effective platforms for high turnout (from reaching 300 individuals face to face in 2002 to over 1300 in 2006), the research Participant Resource Pool numbers over 900 older adult research participant volunteers, and the CLC programming is enhanced by community support, both financially and as programming partners. The CLC proposes to increase its research volunteer pool to 2000 by 2011, to continue its intensive community programming, its high levels of productivity on the science of recruitment and retention with four new studies, and develop a new dissemination and health policy initiative to address the continuing human and societal costs of race and ethnic group health disparities.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 219 publications
