UNASSIGNED: To describe our experiences conducting 2 studies in an African immigrant community, discuss the lessons learned, and provide advice to researchers interested in conducting research in similar populations.
UNASSIGNED: The 2 published studies for which we derive lessons learned for this paper were a cross-sectional study and a qualitative study using focus group interviews. Participants included Zimbabwean immigrants in the Eastern United States recruited at religious festivals and community events. The 2 studies enrolled a total of 135 participants.
UNASSIGNED: Of our recruitment goal of 120 in the first study, we enrolled only 98 despite numerous efforts. However, after strategically partnering with a community advisory board (CAB), in the second study, we met our recruitment goal within 4 months. With the CAB, we recruited a larger proportion of men (38% versus 24%). Without the CAB, 350 individuals agreed to participate, but only 98 (28%) returned the questionnaire, whereas with the CAB, 40 agreed to participate, and 37 (93%) successfully completed the study.
UNASSIGNED: Conducting health-related research in immigrants requires strategic partnerships with the community to build strong relationships between the research team and the target community. By nurturing these relationships, research teams can effectively access this hard-to-reach population and achieve high participation.
■为了描述我们在非洲移民社区进行两项研究的经验,讨论吸取的教训,并向有兴趣在类似人群中进行研究的研究人员提供建议。
■我们从本文中学到的2项已发表的研究是一项横断面研究和一项使用焦点小组访谈的定性研究。参加者包括在宗教节日和社区活动中招募的美国东部的津巴布韦移民。两项研究共招募了135名参与者。
■在第一项研究中,我们的招聘目标是120人,尽管付出了许多努力,我们只注册了98名。然而,在与社区顾问委员会(CAB)进行战略合作后,在第二项研究中,我们在4个月内达到了招聘目标。有了出租车,我们招募了更大比例的男性(38%对24%).没有CAB,350人同意参加,但只有98(28%)的人返回了问卷,而对于CAB,40同意参加,和37(93%)成功完成研究。
■在移民中进行与健康相关的研究需要与社区建立战略伙伴关系,以在研究团队与目标社区之间建立牢固的关系。通过培养这些关系,研究团队可以有效地接触到这一难以接触的人群,并实现高参与度。