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Novel Method for Recruiting Representative At-Risk Individuals into Cancer Prevention Trials: Online Health Risk Assessment in Employee Wellness Programs

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Abstract

Participation in cancer prevention trials (CPT) is lower than 3 % among high-risk healthy individuals, and racial/ethnic minorities are the most under-represented. Novel recruitment strategies are therefore needed. Online health risk assessment (HRA) serves as a gateway component of nearly all employee wellness programs (EWPs) and may be a missed opportunity. This study aimed to explore employees’ interest, willingness, motivators, and barriers of releasing their HRA responses to an external secure research database for recruitment purpose. We used qualitative research methods (focus group and individual interviews) to examine employees’ interest and willingness in releasing their online HRA responses to an external, secure database to register as potential CPT participants. Fifteen structured interviews (40 % of study participants were of racial/ethnic minority) were conducted, and responses reached saturation after four interviews. All employees showed interest and willingness to release their online HRA responses to register as a potential CPT participant. Content analyses revealed that 91 % of participants were motivated to do so, and the major motivators were to (1) obtain help in finding personally relevant prevention trials, (2) help people they know who are affected by cancer, and/or (3) increase knowledge about CPT. A subset of participants (45 %) expressed barriers of releasing their HRA responses due to concerns about credibility and security of the external database. Online HRA may be a feasible but underutilized recruitment method for cancer prevention trials. EWP-sponsored HRA shows promise for the development of a large, centralized registry of racially/ethnically representative CPT potential participants.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute grant, R03 CA159903, awarded to Dr. Hui, the National Institutes of Health grant P30 CA06927, awarded to Fox Chase Cancer Center, and the National Cancer Institute grant R01 CA158019, awarded to Dr. Miller.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple University Health System, 333 Cottman Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA

    Siu-kuen Azor Hui, Suzanne M. Miller & Leah Hazuda

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 1008, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA

    Kimberly Engelman & Edward F. Ellerbeck

Authors
  1. Siu-kuen Azor Hui
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  2. Suzanne M. Miller
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  3. Leah Hazuda
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Correspondence to Siu-kuen Azor Hui.

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Hui, Sk.A., Miller, S.M., Hazuda, L. et al. Novel Method for Recruiting Representative At-Risk Individuals into Cancer Prevention Trials: Online Health Risk Assessment in Employee Wellness Programs. J Canc Educ 31, 421–429 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0927-8

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