Practical strategies to circumvent and/or surmount six barriers in health disparities research: observations from a pilot project among Vietnamese Americans

Abstract

This paper describes six practical strategies to circumvent and/or surmount barriers encountered in community-based health disparities research, as illustrated within a pilot study on Vietnamese Americans' perceptions of the US healthcare system. Health issues, including higher rates of cancer in this group, prompted the current study. These six strategies include the following: (1) identify a population with health concerns, (2) establish the role of the community partner early, (3) recruit an investigator who understands not only the language and culture but also the research process, (4) accept the exploratory nature of a study in an understudied group, (5) put in place the groundwork for recontacting community members, and 6) assemble a motivated research team. The descriptive experience reported here might enable other investigators to undertake and complete work in the field of health disparities in minority groups.