Participation in Biomedical Research Studies and Cancer Screenings: Perceptions of Risks to Minorities Compared with Whites

Abstract

Background

This analysis was conducted to determine whether there is a difference among blacks, Hispanics, and whites in their perception of risks associated with participating in either a biomedical study or a cancer screening.

Methods

The Tuskegee Legacy Project Questionnaire, which focused on research subject participation, was administered in two different surveys (1999–2000 and 2003) in seven cities. The Cancer Screening Questionnaire was administered in 2003 in three cities.

Results

The study sample across the three surveys consisted of 1,064 blacks, 781 Hispanics, and 1,598 non-Hispanic whites. Response rates ranged from 44% to 70% by city. Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, education, income, and city, revealed that blacks and Hispanics each self-reported that minorities, compared with whites, are more likely to be “taken advantage of” in biomedical studies and much less likely to get a “thorough and careful examination” in a cancer screening (odds ratios ranged from 3.6 to 14.2).

Conclusions

Blacks and Hispanics perceive equally high levels of risk for participating in cancer screening examinations and for volunteering to become research subjects in biomedical studies. This perception provides a strong message about the need to overtly address this critical health disparities issue.