Research participant recruitment in hispanic communities: Lessons learned

Michele G. Shedlin, Carlos U. Decena, Thenral Mangadu, Angela Martinez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)352-360
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume13
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2011

Keywords

  • HIV/AIDS
  • Hispanic immigrants
  • Research recruitment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Research participant recruitment in hispanic communities: Lessons learned'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this