Promotores program to increase Hispanic/Latino(a) participation in Alzheimer's disease research

INTRODUCTION: Hispanic/Latino(a/x) (H/L) representation in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) research remains low, limiting generalizability of findings and interventions to this growing population. H/L community health workers ("Promotores") can enhance awareness of brain health and help guide their communities toward ADRD research opportunities; however, the effectiveness of recruitment through Promotores compared to traditional clinic-based approaches remains unknown. This study evaluates our Promotores training and compares the two approaches on recruitment success and characteristics of those recruited into a longitudinal study of ADRD. METHODS: Nine Promotores completed Building Research Integrity and Capacity (BRIC) training on research concepts and ethics, and video training modules on ADRD-related research procedures. Training effectiveness was evaluated via pre-/post-tests to evaluate content knowledge and program satisfaction was evaluated by a self-report survey. Recruitment success was compared between Promotores-based and clinic-based approaches, assessing numbers referred and enrolled in ADRD research, and participants' demographic and clinical characteristics and agreement to specific research procedures (i.e., lumbar puncture, brain donation). RESULTS: = 0.34) and participants were comparable across demographic, clinical, social determinants of health, and willingness to undergo research procedures. DISCUSSION: The Promotores training program was well received, improved research literacy, and was as successful as clinic-based recruitment in enrolling older H/L adults into ADRD research. Results validate our Promotores training strategy and support a multipronged community-oriented approach to H/L participation in ADRD research.