Recruitment of community‐dwelling oldest‐old African Americans for a study on the associations of depression and inflammation with cognitive decline

The relatively small number of oldest-old Black/African American participants we have recruited in over two years showcases the significant difficulty in recruiting these participants. However, it is noteworthy that the retention rate of these participants show commitment to research despite their older age. Educational presentations at senior centers and churches should be ongoing to facilitate rapport and trust in the Black/African American community. Research enrollment and retention is possible by building strong connections with community leaders, such as directors of senior centers. Recruitment of Blacks/African Americans requires considerable time and effort, for which investigators should consider allocating sufficient funding dedicated to recruitment.