The Relationship Between Attitudes about Research and Health Literacy among African American and White (Non-Hispanic) Community Dwelling Older Adults

BACKGROUND: Ethnic minority representation lacks in research. Understanding factors that promote minorities in research helps address this participation gap. Minorities often face representation disparities, including health education, socioeconomic status, and race. Compared to other races in the USA, over 50% of African Americans (AA) over age 65 face obstacles towards achieving basic health literacy skills. This study aims to investigate differences in beliefs regarding research and health literacy between White and AA participants. METHODS: This cross-sectional study compared 46 AA vs. 60 White healthy older adults (n = 106; age = 73.97 ± 10.6 years). Participants were assessed once with the Participant Attitudes and Beliefs towards Research Questionnaire (PABRQ) and two validated health literacy measures, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults (S-TOFHLA). RESULTS: Controlling for age, sex, and education, AA performed significantly worse on REALM. Compared to White participants, AA more likely believed that researchers were motivated to perform studies to increase their general knowledge. Participants with lower health literacy scores more likely believed that scientists were motivated to conduct research to minimize treatment expenses. About 83–85% of participants reported not being familiar with the informed consent process, 90–95% had positive attitudes towards research involvement, and 38–52% believed researchers performed to promote their own careers. CONCLUSION: This work helps link older adults’ beliefs towards research, health literacy, and their participation in research. Future research is needed to remove barriers to participation in research for underserved, older adults.