Mayo Clinic Investigators’ Education-to-Action Program Leads to Increased Participation of Minorities in Research

A study conducted by Mayo Clinic in partnership with The Links, Incorporated, a national service organ-ization of professional African American women, was recently published in the Journal of Womens Health. Investigators used the study to research minorities’ attitudes toward participating in chart review (CR), genetic/biobanking studies (GEN), and clinical trials (CT), both before and after complet-ing an online education-to-action program. Those who indicated they "definitely" or "probably" intend to participate in research increased from 36.5% to 69.3% (pre/post-program) and agreement with the statement "research in the U.S. is ethical" increased from 52.9% to 74.4%. Additionally, pre-program, few were "very positive" about the various study types (14.3% GEN, 15.0% CR, 28.6% CT), but the rates increased and equalized post-program (42.8% GEN, 43.0% CR, 42.5% CT). ARTICLE