Successful Recruitment of Vietnamese Americans into the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) Pilot Study at UC San Diego

Background Vietnamese Americans represent the 4th largest Asian American population in the United States with about 2.3 million people nationwide, yet research and literature on the recruitment of Vietnamese Americans in dementia research is limited. In addition to the cultural/linguistic barriers, the lack of Vietnamese language recruitment materials and cognitive assessments has made it difficult to enroll this underserved population into Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research. Method To facilitate the recruitment of Vietnamese Americans aged 60 and older into the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) pilot study, recruitment methods were established to address physical, technological, linguistic, experiential (protection of identifiable data), and cultural challenges (war‐related trauma, dementia stigma). Localized data collection forms and outreach materials were developed and appropriately translated into Vietnamese with socio‐cultural/linguistic sensitivity. Trusted community advisors/partners and bilingual/bicultural Vietnamese‐English research staff were central to the successful recruitment of Vietnamese American participants. Remote assessments were conducted using a customized electronic tablet platform (Claris Companion ® ) via Zoom that allowed consent, cognitive interviews, and medical exams. Saliva samples were collected remotely with prepaid envelopes to mail‐in samples. Result Remote assessments were well accepted by participants. This was critical in conducting this study given the technological, safety (during COVID‐19 pandemic), and socio‐economic limitations. Although time consuming on the front‐end, our methods resulted in the successful recruitment of the target sample of 25 participants, with no dropouts. ACAD community advisory board members referred 56% of participants, enrolled study participants referred 40%, and other sources, 4%. Mean age of participants was 73 years (median: 76; range: 60‐91), 52% female, and 100% foreign‐born. Most (80%) were interviewed in Vietnamese. Successful recruitment strategies included: (1) development of culturally/linguistically appropriate recruitment materials, (2) community connected bilingual/bicultural (Vietnamese‐English) research staff, (3) responsiveness to identified physical, technological, and language/cultural recruitment challenges, (4) community partnerships and participant referrals, and (5) appropriate technology/device for remote assessments. Conclusion To facilitate successful r