Recruiting Latino and non-Latino families in pediatric research: considerations from a study on childhood disability.

OBJECTIVE To improve representation of minorities in research, we examined recruitment methods from our study of Latino and non-Latino families of children with Intellectual Disability (ID). METHOD We compared recruitment strategies that yielded the enrollment target of 200 matched Latino and nonLatino families of children with ID and controls. Active recruitment strategies involved direct contact with potential participants; passive strategies included disseminating study information. RESULTS Effective outreach focused on community agencies where children had ongoing involvement and utilizing bilingual/bicultural staff. Latino families were significantly more likely to be recruited by an active strategy than non-Latino families. Active and passive strategies were both effective with non-Latino ID families. Asking research participants to inform other families about the study and sharing consent to contact lists with other investigators was productive with control families. CONCLUSIONS Bilingual staff and active recruitment through familiar community services were successful in recruiting Latino families for research.