Background
Racial and ethnic minority groups are often underrepresented in Alzheimer’s disease prevention research. Researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, used a community engagement approach to build a registry of healthy adults age 55 and older who were interested in future prevention studies.
Findings
The registry enrolled 2,311 volunteers, approximately 31% of whom were African American and 74% were women. Among the recruitment strategies tested, community engagement was the most effective for building a large, diverse pool of potential participants. However, trial eligibility criteria may limit the participation of African American volunteers.
Citation
Romero H.R., Welsh-Bohmer K.A., Gwyther L.P., et al. Community engagement in diverse populations for Alzheimer disease prevention trials. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord (2014) 28(3):269-74. doi: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000029
The study is available at Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders.
*Content last updated September 2026
