A major aspect of a clinical trial is its ability to successfully recruit patients. There is a paucity of information concerning the nuances of recruiting study patients, especially those from minority communities. As minorities generally have been underrepresented in the health-care system, they may be less likely to participate in clinical trials or other studies. Researchers at Jackson State University's (JSU) School of Health Sciences and the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation believe that a key aspect in African Americans participating in clinical/biomedical research is the involvement of community members during pre-trial planning, community awareness programs, and a community advisory panel. It may be a major error to bring a health-care initiative unannounced into a targeted community without extensive pre-program planning in cooperation with that community. One of our solutions is the development of a business community network to help disseminate information about African American participation in clinical trial research.
Our specific aims are to: 1. Enhance the small business community's understanding of biomedical, behavioral, and/or clinical research, 2. Identify strategies to improve the small business community's understanding of specific elements of the research process such as informed consent and business enhancement, 3. Design strategies to involve small business communities in research and researchers in the community, 4. Increase health literacy in the Jackson Medical Mall Business community, and 5. Enhance networks and infrastructure that will promote biomedical research that not only takes place in the small business community, but involves the community. According to the Mississippi State Department of Health Statistics Report, the leading causes of death for Mississippians in 2006 were heart disease, cancer, strokes, accidents, emphysema, chronic lung diseases, pneumonia/flu, kidney disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and septicemia (MSDH, 2006). Economically, this is problematic for minority populations who often have inadequate health care insurance and enter the health care system at the tertiary level of care. The workplace provides an important opportunity for influencing individuals to address their own health risk factors, and for providing a forum on the importance of minority participation in biomedical/clinical research.
| Johnson, Barbara H; Hayes, Sandra C; Ekundayo, Olugbemiga T et al. (2012) Health literacy of an urban business community. J Health Care Poor Underserved 23:242-53 |
