Recruiting Older African Americans to Brain Health and Aging Research Through Community Engagement: Lessons from the African-American Brain Health Initiative at Rutgers University-Newark.

Abstract

The African-American Brain Health Initiative at Rutgers University-Newark is a university-community partnership combining community engagement, education and training, and brain health research. Partnering with community-based organizations, it promotes brain health literacy, Alzheimer's awareness, brain-healthy lifestyle choices, and participation in brain research for older African Americans in Greater Newark, New Jersey. Our approach to recruitment relies on building trust through long-term relationships; communicating health knowledge through trusted community leaders; recruiting subjects through targeted efforts; and cultivating research participants as ambassadors.