References
Recruiting older people from the Pakistani community in Community Ageing Research 75+
Abstract
Older people from a South Asian background, particularly Pakistanis, are under-represented in health research, possibly because their recruitment to studies is hampered by language barriers and cultural differences. This article describes the observations of two bi-lingual researchers (FM and IJ) who successfully recruited older people (≥75 years) from Bradford's South Asian population to the Community Ageing Research 75+ Study (CARE 75+), a longitudinal cohort study collecting an extensive range of health, social and economic outcome data. The researchers recruited non-English-speaking Pakistani participants, ensuring they were flexible with appointments to accommodate the wishes of family members, who were often present during consent and assessment visits. Using community language was an important facilitator, and questions (and constructs) were translated to the community dialect (Potwari). To date, 233 South Asian people have been invited to participate in CARE75+, and 78 have been recruited (recruitment rate=33%), of which 62 are of Pakistani origin. The observed recruitment rate for South Asian participants is comparable to that of the whole study population (36%). Language barriers should not be used as a basis for excluding participants from research studies. Appropriate facilitation, through skilled researchers who have knowledge of, and are attuned to, the cultural sensitivities of the community, can allow recruitment of BME participants to research studies.
Many South Asian migrants who settled in the UK in the 1950 and 1960s are now entering later life. Problems encountered by older people can be magnified in the South Asian population, in which language barriers and difficulties accessing healthcare have been recognised (Rait and Burns, 1997). These factors can increase the risk of health inequalities in this population. All areas in the north of England are projected to witness an increase in the number of people aged 75 years and above, including those from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds (Buckner et al, 2011).
The South Asian population has an increased risk of long-term conditions, including heart disease (Rankin and Bhopal, 2001), hypertension (Bhopal and Sengupta-Wiebe, 2000), asthma (Netuveli et al, 2005), stroke (Patel et al, 2002) and diabetes (Greenhalgh, 1997). However, older people, particularly those from the South Asian population, are under-represented in health research (Hussain-Gambles et al, 2004). Thus, increasing the participation of older people from the South Asian community in research is an important first step to investigating the health inequalities in this population.
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