Research Participant Recruitment in Hispanic Communities: Lessons Learned

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health 2011-04, Vol.13 (2), p.352-360
• Main Authors: Shedlin, Michele G, Decena, Carlos U, Mangadu, Thenral, Martinez, Angela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acculturation; Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; AIDS; Behavior; Behavioral sciences; Bias; Collaboration; Community; Community Relations; Community-Based Participatory Research - organization & administration; Comparative Law; Culture; Disease prevention; Drug Use; Economic Status; Emigrants and Immigrants - psychology; Environmental Influences; Fear; Fieldwork; Focus groups; Gender Discrimination; Health behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health risks; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Hispanic immigrants; Hispanic people; HIV; HIV Infections - psychology; HIV/AIDS; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immigrants; International & Foreign Law; Interpersonal Relationship; Low Income; Low income groups; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Noncitizens; Original Paper; Population; Private International Law; Program Development; Public Health; Recruitment; Referral; Research Assistants; Research recruitment; Research Subjects - psychology; Researchers; Rural areas; Sampling; Social Support; Sociology; Stigmatization; Studies; United States
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-009-9292-1

Hidden/special populations such as new immigrants are hard-to-reach due to issues such as stigma, discrimination, fear of immigration authorities, and cultural norms. Such factors can affect the recruitment of participants for behavioral research, especially research which addresses stigmatizing conditions such as HIV/AIDS. This research involved a qualitative approach and methods. The study identified contextual factors as well as attitudes, experiences and beliefs affecting HIV risk among recent Hispanic immigrants in New York. During the course of this research, challenges to participant recruitment were identified which were related to the environments, characteristics of the populations, and the sensitive nature of the topic to be studied. Strategies including exploratory fieldwork and sensitivity to participants' fear of “the system” were effective in recruiting individuals from this population. The authors discuss the strategies which facilitated recruitment of research subjects from these new Hispanic immigrant communities and the importance of behavioral research among these vulnerable communities.