Racial and ethnic minorities, especially African-Americans, are significantly less likely to participate in health-related research than Whites, according to a new study from Ball State University.
The lack of participation impedes the testing, development, implementation and evaluation of various clinical and community-based disease-prevention and health-promotion interventions, said Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani, a community health education professor in Ball State’s College of Health and author of the study “Black–White Differences in Willingness to Participate and Perceptions about Health Research.”
Recently published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, the study examined health research-participation history and willingness to participate.
“According to the findings, lesser-educated, older and male African-Americans are less likely to participate in health research studies,” Khubchandani said, adding that some of the reasons for not participating are valid.
“It could be possible that this generation of older African-American males still experiences prejudice or is highly aware of the past exploitation of racial and ethnic minorities in healthcare research and healthcare systems,” he said.
Researchers also found that about 15 percent of African-American respondents have participated in a health research study and 48 percent would participate in a health research study if invited. More than a fifth of White respondents (23 percent) have participated in a study, and the majority would like to participate if invited (57 percent).
Khubchandani said government regulations require that any research that includes human populations must include women, minorities and the underserved, unless otherwise noted. It’s an ethical issue.
