Adherence to calcium/vitamin D and estrogen protocols among diverse older participants enrolled in a clinical trial.

Purpose: This study was intended to identify characteristics of those who adhere poorly to calcium/vitamin D and estrogen replacement protocols, and aimed to assess the effects of ethnicity, socio-economic status, and health status on medication adherence.

Methods: The adherence rates of 107 older white, African American and Hispanic participants of a clinical trial involving calcium/vitamin D and either estrogen replacement or placebo therapy were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis that minority participants would have lower adherence rates than white participants, but only if they had lower household incomes and educational achievement, more osteoporosis risk factors, negative health assessments, and fewer somatic complaints than white participants.

Osteoporosis medications used by older African-American women: effects of socioeconomic status and psychosocial factors.

This study examined the effects of socioeconomic status, knowledge and Health Belief Model variables on ever use of hormone therapy and other osteoporosis medications among older African-American women. One-hundred and two African-American women, 60 years old or older, randomly selected from Registers of Voters and a list of participants in educational activities of a university hospital, were interviewed in their homes. Data collected concerned knowledge of osteoporosis, Health Belief Model variables, and cues to action such as history of hysterectomy, personal and family history of cancer, bone mineral density testing, and discussion with a physician about osteoporosis.

Strategies for enrolling diverse older women in an osteoporosis trial.

Objectives: This study reviewed a consumer-oriented process for recruiting research volunteers age 65 or older for an osteoporosis clinical trial.

Methods: Odds ratios were used to estimate the relative importance of methods to enroll research volunteers from three racial or ethnic groups.

Results: Nine hundred and four women were screened; 168 African American, White, and Hispanic women enrolled.

Barriers to eligibility and enrollment among older women in a clinical trial on osteoporosis: effects of ethnicity and SES.

Objectives: The study examined whether ethnicity or socioeconomic status influenced a group's ability to meet eligibility criteria and willingness to enroll.

Method: The eligibility and enrollment status of 904 women aged 65 years and older who responded to recruitment efforts of an estrogen and osteoporosis clinical trial were analyzed.

Results: Among women screened, 59% were White, 27% African Americans, and 14% Hispanics; average age was 75 years; 57.