“It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studies
Abstract Background Key to the success of any prospective cohort study is the effective recruitment and retention of participants, but the specific factors that influence younger adults of the Millennial generation to participate in research are not well-understood. The objective of this qualitative...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-08-01
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| Series: | BMC Pulmonary Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-023-02582-6 |
| _version_ | 1797454067708985344 |
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| author | Andrew J. Synn Katherine E. Menson Mercedes R. Carnethon Ravi Kalhan Elizabeth A. Sugar George R. Washko Robert A. Wise Michelle N. Eakin |
| author_facet | Andrew J. Synn Katherine E. Menson Mercedes R. Carnethon Ravi Kalhan Elizabeth A. Sugar George R. Washko Robert A. Wise Michelle N. Eakin |
| author_sort | Andrew J. Synn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Key to the success of any prospective cohort study is the effective recruitment and retention of participants, but the specific factors that influence younger adults of the Millennial generation to participate in research are not well-understood. The objective of this qualitative study was to identify factors that motivated participation and engagement in longitudinal research studies focused on respiratory health among a diverse group of young adults. Methods We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 50 younger adult participants (aged 25–35 years) regarding factors influencing their participation in longitudinal research studies. Thematic analysis was used to develop, organize, and tabulate the frequency of key themes. In exploratory analyses, we examined for patterns in the distribution of key themes across racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups. Results Participants identified several key themes that affected their willingness to participate in longitudinal studies. These included the health-related benefits generated by research (both to the individual and to society at-large), factors related to the institution and study team conducting the research, concerns regarding unethical and/or unrepresentative study design, and barriers to participation in research. Certain factors may be more impactful to underrepresented groups, including concerns regarding data privacy and confidentiality. Conclusions In this diverse group of younger adults, we identified specific factors that motivated participation and predicted high engagement in longitudinal research studies focused on respiratory health. Implementing and integrating these factors into study protocols may improve recruitment and retention, including among participants who are historically underrepresented in research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:30:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2877b4f931394a048a8b48c124ca39c1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2466 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:30:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Pulmonary Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-2877b4f931394a048a8b48c124ca39c12023-11-26T12:12:50ZengBMCBMC Pulmonary Medicine1471-24662023-08-0123111010.1186/s12890-023-02582-6“It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studiesAndrew J. Synn0Katherine E. Menson1Mercedes R. Carnethon2Ravi Kalhan3Elizabeth A. Sugar4George R. Washko5Robert A. Wise6Michelle N. Eakin7Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of VermontDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Northwestern UniversityDepartment of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women’s HospitalDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityAbstract Background Key to the success of any prospective cohort study is the effective recruitment and retention of participants, but the specific factors that influence younger adults of the Millennial generation to participate in research are not well-understood. The objective of this qualitative study was to identify factors that motivated participation and engagement in longitudinal research studies focused on respiratory health among a diverse group of young adults. Methods We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 50 younger adult participants (aged 25–35 years) regarding factors influencing their participation in longitudinal research studies. Thematic analysis was used to develop, organize, and tabulate the frequency of key themes. In exploratory analyses, we examined for patterns in the distribution of key themes across racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups. Results Participants identified several key themes that affected their willingness to participate in longitudinal studies. These included the health-related benefits generated by research (both to the individual and to society at-large), factors related to the institution and study team conducting the research, concerns regarding unethical and/or unrepresentative study design, and barriers to participation in research. Certain factors may be more impactful to underrepresented groups, including concerns regarding data privacy and confidentiality. Conclusions In this diverse group of younger adults, we identified specific factors that motivated participation and predicted high engagement in longitudinal research studies focused on respiratory health. Implementing and integrating these factors into study protocols may improve recruitment and retention, including among participants who are historically underrepresented in research.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-023-02582-6Qualitative methodsYoung adultsResearch study participation |
| spellingShingle | Andrew J. Synn Katherine E. Menson Mercedes R. Carnethon Ravi Kalhan Elizabeth A. Sugar George R. Washko Robert A. Wise Michelle N. Eakin “It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studies BMC Pulmonary Medicine Qualitative methods Young adults Research study participation |
| title | “It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studies |
| title_full | “It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studies |
| title_fullStr | “It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | “It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studies |
| title_short | “It's a cause I believe in”: factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal, respiratory-focused research studies |
| title_sort | it s a cause i believe in factors motivating participation and engagement in longitudinal respiratory focused research studies |
| topic | Qualitative methods Young adults Research study participation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-023-02582-6 |
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