Health Promotion Practice March 2016 Vol. 17, No. (2) 199–208 DOI: 10.1177/1524839915621545 © 2015 Society for Public Health Education 199 Developing Cultural Competence Clinical trial (CT) participation is low among African Americans (AAs). To better communicate with AAs about the importance of CTs, the purpose of this study was to explore the communication sources and per- ceived effective communication channels and strategies through which the general public, AAs, and White indi- viduals receive CT information. A quantitative telephone survey was conducted with AAs and Whites in one Southern state (N = 511). The measures assessed CT sources of information, perceived effectiveness of com- munication channels and strategies, CT understanding, and CT participation. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were used to compare responses overall and by race. AAs reported being exposed to more CT information than Whites. AAs received CT information most often through television, social media, and doctors compared to Whites. Perceived effectiveness of communication strategies and channels varied by race. AAs preferred simple and easy- to-understand CT information distributed through faith- based organizations. Whites preferred to receive CT information through a trustworthy source (e.g., doctor). There were no significant differences between AAs and Whites in their perceived effectiveness of media sources (e.g., Internet). Recommendations are provided to help health promotion practitioners and CT recruiters tailor information and communicate it effectively to potential AA and White CT participants. Keywords: clinical trials; communication; African Americans; Whites > BACKGROUND Clinical trials (CTs), defined as biomedical or health- related studies using human volunteers, are considered the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of treatment or preventive medical procedures (National Institutes of Health [NIH], 2012). Participant recruitment for CTs, however, is often an overwhelming challenge for clinical researchers (Mackenzie et al., 2010), with less than 5% of adult patients participating (Ravikoff, Cole, & Korzenik, 2012; Weckstein et al., 2011). Although CTs are vital to the progress of public health and medical research, recruitment failures can postpone the develop- ment and evaluation of new treatments for patients (Dean-Clower et al., 2000; Embi et al., 2005). 621545HPP XX X 10.1177/1524839915621545Health Promotion PracticeTanner et al. / COMMUNICATING ABOUT CLINICAL TRIALS WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES research-article 2015 1 University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA 2 College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA Authors’ Note: Research funded by Health Sciences South Carolina. Address correspondence to Andrea Tanner, PhD, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Room 322B, Columbia, SC 29208, USA; e-mail: atanner@sc.edu. Communicating Effectively About Clinical Trials With African American Communities: A Comparison of African American and White Information Sources and Needs Andrea Tanner, PhD 1 Caroline D. Bergeron, DrPH 1 Yue Zheng, MS 1 Daniela B. Friedman, PhD 1 Sei-Hill Kim, PhD 1 Caroline B. Foster, PhD 2 at UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA on March 22, 2016 hpp.sagepub.com Downloaded from