Building Trust for Community-Engaged Research: Recommendations From a Qualitative Study

Background Community engagement is crucial for public health research and detailed, step-by-step best practices for fostering it are needed. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators for public health research in three underserved Atlanta communities, explore effective community engagement methods, and propose practices for involving communities in all research phases, from study preparation to outcome dissemination. Methods Eight focus group discussions (3 with African American adults, 3 with older adults, and 2 with refugee and immigrant (RIM) participants) were conducted between November 2022 and March 2023. We coded the transcripts using NVivo 12, reviewed them, wrote memos summarizing each code’s outcomes, and synthesized the results through discussions. Results Participants identified historical mistreatment and mistrust, inadequate information about research and the utilization of data, discomfort with data collection procedures, legal risks, language barriers, and discrimination issues as barriers to participation in research. Facilitators were categorized into extrinsic and intrinsic rewards of engaging in research. The extrinsic rewards included pragmatic compensation, such as cash or food, their interest in the topic, and the potential health benefits from participating in the study. Intrinsic rewards provided a greater sense of purpose and buy-in for research engagement such as the potential to contribute to positive change for their family and community. Based on barriers and facilitators, four main ways were suggested to build trust with the community for conducting research, including 1) establishing close relationships with “community champions”, 2) building a research team with shared demographic characteristics of the community, 3) enhancing research transparency and clarity, and 4) using effective modes of recruitment, data collection, and dissemination. Conclusion Successful community engagement in research requires a holistic approach that prioritizes relationship-building through community champions, transparency in research methods and dissemination of findings back to the community, and cultural sensitivity. This approach to research emphasizes research “with community” versus “on community.” Understanding community members’ diverse motivations and preferences in recruitment/retention and data collection is key to successfully engage underserved populations in research.