Recruitment and entrance of participants into a physical activity intervention for hypertensive African American women

Decreasing health disparities between White Americans and racial/ethnic minority populations is a public health priority. An ongoing inability to attract sufficient numbers of African Americans and other people of color to participate in research studies is a major barrier to accomplishing this goal. Participation of racial/ethnic minorities in intervention studies is especially critical to the development of appropriate strategies to promote health among these populations. This article examines the effectiveness of preintervention meetings as well as interactions between African American research team members and potential participants as recruitment strategies. Intersections between recruitment and health promotion are also addressed.