Recruiting Chinese- and Korean-Americans in Cancer Survivorship Research: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Abstract

This paper describes Asian-American recruitment experiences using data from the cancer survivorship study involving Chinese- and Korean-American breast cancer survivors specifically. The article discusses challenges to the successful recruitment of Asian-American populations for cancer survivorship research and provides recommendations for future recruitment efforts. The study investigated the role of family communication in coping and quality of life for survivors from Chinese- and Korean-American groups diagnosed with breast cancer. Participants were primarily recruited through cancer registries and community outreach. A total of 157 breast cancer survivors (86 Chinese-Americans and 71 Korean-Americans) completed the final survey, yielding a final response rate of 62.8 % of the accessible samples. Chinese-Americans were more likely to agree to participate but less frequently completed the survey, and Korean-Americans were more likely to refuse to participate. Common reasons for refusal were “too busy or too painful to recall,” followed by “not interested,” “too old,” “distrust of the research,” or “health issue.” Participants were more likely to be young and Korean-American compared to non-participants. Cultural and linguistic barriers, distrust, and lack of awareness about cancer research should be considered to recruit more Asian-American cancer survivors. Community participatory research is required to ensure participation by sufficient numbers of ethnic minorities in cancer survivorship research.