Strategies for motivating Latino couples' participation in qualitative health research and their effects on sample construction

Many investigators report difficulties recruiting low-income Latinos into health research projects, especially when they seek to enroll more than one family member. We developed a series of strategies that proved effective in motivating candidates who were initially reluctant to enroll. There is a possibility that these strategies biased the composition of the sample. Predictably, the reasons participants gave for enrolling were correlated with the recruitment strategy that had brought them into the study. Furthermore, we found statistically significant associations between recruitment technique and key study variables (e.g., the domestic stability of the couple). By increasing investigators' ability to recruit Latinos, however, the strategies outlined should help to ensure that Latinos' experiences are given due weight in the deliberations of medical professionals and policymakers.