DIFFERENCES IN MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH STUDIES

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine what motivational factors influence a person's decision to participate in research studies and determine if these motivational factors differ by a person's gender, race/ethnicity, occupation and education level. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 101 participants (18 years and older). They were asked to complete a survey that was compiled from different questions presented in the literature. For each variable, simple and multiple logistic regression were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between education, occupation, gender, and race/ethnicity with willingness to participate in clinical research while controlling for whether they have participated in research in the past. Chi-square analyses were performed to determine if motivational factors differed by gender, race/ethnicity, occupation, and education for those who were willing to participate in future studies. Results: In the unadjusted analyses, education level and occupation were associated with willingness to participate. In the adjusted model, education level and previous research participation were associated with willingness to participate. Motivational factors for participation significantly varied by education level (3 factors), occupation (4 factors), gender (1 factor) and race/ethnicity (1 factor). Conclusions: By researchers using these models and finding out what factors motivate these individuals to participate in research, they can make research more appealing and eventually increase participation in research studies.