Strategies for Recruiting Older Black Men into Aging and Alzheimer’s Research

Background: Despite their high risks for Alzheimer’s disease, older Black men are minimally represented in Alzheimer’s research and clinical trials. The absence of older Black men in Alzheimer’s research limits our ability to characterize the changes associated with cognitive impairments in older Black men—a key health disparity concern. Methods: Drawing on lessons we learned from years of community-based participatory research in Newark, NJ, we highlight recruitment strategies developed alongside community partners to guide our enrollment and retention efforts for Black men. Results: We identified seven recruitment strategies: provide indirect health education through social programming, target older men through the younger men in their lives, go beyond Black churches, use older Black men as trained community ambassadors, enlist the women in Black men’s lives, frame research participation as a legacy to leave their sons, and use past and current Black men participants as role models. Conclusions: These recruitment strategies help us address many barriers to recruiting older Black men. They can be easily implemented by researchers conducting aging and brain health research or interested in working with older Black men and under-represented populations.