Factors Influencing Public Knowledge and Willingness to Participate in Biomedical Research in Jordan: A National Survey

PURPOSE: Recruitment of adequate numbers of research participants is important for advancement in biomedical fields. Awareness and knowledge of the population about biomedical research are expected to enhance willingness to participate in such research. Therefore, in the current study, participants’ awareness, knowledge, and willingness to participate in scientific research in Jordan were examined. METHODS: This was a survey-based, cross-sectional study conducted from December 2019 to February 2020 among the public in Jordan. After written informed consent had been obtained from study participants, a structured questionnaire was used to survey research participants. The final questionnaire contained three parts: part I was about demographics and general information, part II assessed participants’ awareness and willingness to participate in biomedical research, and part III assessed participants’ knowledge about biomedical research studies. RESULTS: A total of 2,000 subjects agreed to participate, of which 67.4% were female (n=1339). More than half the respondents were aware of biomedical research (58.6%), of which 18.1% had previously participated in biomedical research. In addition, 55.5% reported that they were willing to participate in biomedical research, while a lower proportion (31.1%) were willing to volunteer in a clinical trial. The overall knowledge of participants about biomedical research was deemed moderate (total score 12.9 out of 20). Finally, willingness to participate in biomedical research was associated with being male, being married, having a biomedicine-related degree, and higher knowledge score. CONCLUSION: A majority of Jordanians had moderate levels of awareness and knowledge about biomedical research. Such factors as sex, type of education, and knowledge contribute to willingness to participate in biomedical research.