Community Liaison and Recruitment Core

REVISED Project Summary/Abstract The primary objectives of the Deep South RCMAR Community Liaison and Recruitment Core (CLRC) are to 1) educate, train, and mentor Scientists in community-engaged theory-based approaches to engaging older adults in health-related intervention research, 2) assist RCMAR Scientists in recruiting older adults into their research studies, and 3) build a sustainable infrastructure that will generate and disseminate new knowledge regarding the science of recruitment and retention. Our approach to recruitment and retention draws upon research that addresses the role of culture in promoting health among older adults. There are cohort differences between younger and older adults because of greater institutional policies of racism and discrimination experienced by elders. Consequently, for health information, older adults rely, to a greater extent, on their cultural values and their kinship systems. In addition to family and extended kinship networks, older adults place high value on their religious beliefs and practices. Because of this, recruitment and retention endeavors should reflect this rich cultural fabric and employ community engagement strategies that are theory-based and culturally relevant. In this application, we build upon our existing community-based infrastructure that has fostered community capacity for active engagement in clinical research and has served as a catalyst to increase participation of older adults in health-related intervention research studies. Through the activities of the CLRC, we expect that RCMAR Scientists will continue to have access to evidence-based recruitment and retention tools for both urban and rural older adults, and realize enhanced participation of older adults, greater community “buy-in” to research projects, and clearer routes of dissemination and intervention sustainability. Our CLRC has successfully engaged rural and urban communities via broad-based efforts aimed directly at individuals, as well as organizational conduits such as community-based groups and agents of change. We envision continued mutually beneficial engagement fostering opportunities both for the CLRC and RCMAR Scientists to solicit community input on the development of potential research questions and for community members to enjoy enhanced access to state-of-the-art clinical research focused on older adults. To accomplish these broader goals, we propose the following specific aims for the Community Liaison and Recruitment Core of the Deep South RCMAR: 1. Work collaboratively with the Research Education Component (REC) to educate, train, and mentor RCMAR Scientists regarding the theory and approach to community engagement and assist RCMAR Scientists in recruiting older adults to their research studies. 2. Advance scientific knowledge in the area of recruitment and retention of older urban and rural adults by empirically testing recruitment and retention strategies developed in partnership with community members 3. Expand capacity for community-academic partnerships to support the recruitment and retention of older urban and rural adults. 4. Disseminate research findings to the scientific community and the communities we serve.