1320-P: Building Trust between Researchers and African American and Latino Families of Children with T1D to Enhance Recruitment, Retention, and the Relevance of Research

Background: African American and Latino children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have persistent disparities in diabetes outcomes. Diabetes outcomes can be significantly improved through behavior change interventions. However, existing behavioral family interventions for T1D have almost exclusively been implemented and evaluated among samples comprised of primarily non-Latino white families because of obstacles to building trust in studies. Challenges to building trust include relatively low percentages of youth with T1D compared to non-Latino whites, and aspects of the academic environment. Identifying and implementing strategies to build trust with minority communities will improve representation in behavioral intervention research. Methods: We describe methods used to improve recruitment and retention in an ongoing pilot randomized control trial for parents of 60 African American and Latino children. Our community-engaged approach included consultation with culturally-informed communications experts, partnering with community resources (e.g., Health Department and Cooperative Extension Program), and engaging a family advisory board to advise on study branding, recruitment methods, and intervention components. We developed and implemented community information sessions about the study and a “T1D Research and Education Day Event” to launch recruitment. We conducted in-person recruitment visits within a diabetes care center. Results: Six parents joined the advisory board. Six families attended the informational events. To date, 51 families have consented to participate in the study: 89% of the 8 eligible families in attendance enrolled at the launch event, and 66% of 67 approached in clinic enrolled (68% overall enrollment rate). Conclusions: Innovative methods for building trust with African American and Latino families have increased engagement compared to previous T1D behavioral research.