Examining the Role of Community Engagement in Enhancing the Participation of Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Communities in Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials; A Rapid Review

Despite higher dementia prevalence in racial and ethnic minoritized communities, they are underrepresented in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. Community-based recruitment strategies are believed to yield positive outcomes in various fields, such as cancer and cardiovascular clinical trials, but their outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) require further study. In this systematic rapid review, we synthesized the available evidence on community-engaged recruitment strategies in enhancing participation in AD/ADRD clinical trials and observational study participation.

We searched and identified studies describing a community-based recruitment approach for racial and ethnic minoritized communities across seven databases (Pubmed, OVID MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and EMBASE).

Out of 1915 screened studies, 49 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies employed multiple community-based recruitment approaches, including educational presentations, collaborations with community-based faith organizations, community advisory boards, and engagement with local clinics or health professionals. 52% of studies targeted more than one racial and ethnic minoritized population, primarily African Americans and then Hispanic/Latino. Gaps in knowledge about AD/ADRD, its increased risk among minoritized populations, distrust, and stigma were noted as barriers to research participation. Approximately 50% of the studies specified whether they evaluated their recruitment approaches, and in studies where approaches were evaluated, there was substantial heterogeneity in methods utilized.

The quality of available evidence on the use of community-based recruitment approaches to include racial and ethnic minoritized populations in AD/ADRD research, particularly in clinical trials, is limited. Systematic assessment of recruitment strategies is urgently needed to increase the evidence base around community-engaged recruitment approaches.