TY - JOUR
T1 - Recruiting South Asians to a lifestyle intervention trial
T2 - experiences and lessons from PODOSA (Prevention of Diabetes & Obesity in South Asians).
AU - Douglas, Anne
AU - Bhopal, Raj S.
AU - Bhopal, Ruby
AU - Forbes, John F.
AU - Gill, Jason M.R.
AU - Lawton, Julia
AU - McKnight, John
AU - Murray, Gordon
AU - Sattar, Naveed
AU - Sharma, Anu
AU - Tuomilehto, Jaakko
AU - Wallia, Sunita
AU - Wild, Sarah H.
AU - Sheikh, Aziz
N1 - © 2011 Douglas et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Despite the growing emphasis on the inclusion of ethnic minority patients in research, there is little published on the recruitment of these populations especially to randomised, community based, lifestyle intervention trials in the UK. We share our experience of recruitment to screening in the PODOSA (Prevention of Diabetes and Obesity in South Asians) trial, which screened 1319 recruits (target 1800) for trial eligibility. A multi-pronged recruitment approach was used. Enrolment via the National Health Service included direct referrals from health care professionals and written invitations via general practices. Recruitment within the community was carried out by both the research team and through our partnerships with local South Asian groups and organisations. Participants were encouraged to refer friends and family throughout the recruitment period. Health care professionals referred only 55 potential participants. The response to written invitations via general practitioners was 5.2%, lower than reported in other general populations. Community orientated, personal approaches for recruitment were comparatively effective yielding 1728 referrals (82%) to the screening stage. The PODOSA experience shows that a community orientated, personal approach for recruiting South Asian ethnic minority populations can be successful in a trial setting. We recommend that consideration is given to cover recruitment costs associated with community engagement and other personalised approaches. Researchers should consider prioritising approaches that minimise interference with professionals' work and, particularly in the current economic climate, keep costs to a minimum. The lessons learned in PODOSA should contribute to future community based trials in South Asians. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN25729565.
AB - Despite the growing emphasis on the inclusion of ethnic minority patients in research, there is little published on the recruitment of these populations especially to randomised, community based, lifestyle intervention trials in the UK. We share our experience of recruitment to screening in the PODOSA (Prevention of Diabetes and Obesity in South Asians) trial, which screened 1319 recruits (target 1800) for trial eligibility. A multi-pronged recruitment approach was used. Enrolment via the National Health Service included direct referrals from health care professionals and written invitations via general practices. Recruitment within the community was carried out by both the research team and through our partnerships with local South Asian groups and organisations. Participants were encouraged to refer friends and family throughout the recruitment period. Health care professionals referred only 55 potential participants. The response to written invitations via general practitioners was 5.2%, lower than reported in other general populations. Community orientated, personal approaches for recruitment were comparatively effective yielding 1728 referrals (82%) to the screening stage. The PODOSA experience shows that a community orientated, personal approach for recruiting South Asian ethnic minority populations can be successful in a trial setting. We recommend that consideration is given to cover recruitment costs associated with community engagement and other personalised approaches. Researchers should consider prioritising approaches that minimise interference with professionals' work and, particularly in the current economic climate, keep costs to a minimum. The lessons learned in PODOSA should contribute to future community based trials in South Asians. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN25729565.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80053493538&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1745-6215-12-220
DO - 10.1186/1745-6215-12-220
M3 - Article
C2 - 21978409
AN - SCOPUS:80053493538
SN - 1745-6215
VL - 12
SP - 220
JO - Trials
JF - Trials
M1 - 220
ER -