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. 2011 Nov 22:2:205-18.
doi: 10.2147/SAR.S23796. eCollection 2011.

Addiction treatment trials: how gender, race/ethnicity, and age relate to ongoing participation and retention in clinical trials

Jeffrey E Korte  1 , Carmen L Rosa  2 , Paul G Wakim  2 , Harold I Perl  2
Affiliations

Addiction treatment trials: how gender, race/ethnicity, and age relate to ongoing participation and retention in clinical trials

Jeffrey E Korte et al. Subst Abuse Rehabil. .

Abstract

Introduction: Historically, racial and ethnic minority populations have been underrepresented in clinical research, and the recruitment and retention of women and ethnic minorities in clinical trials has been a significant challenge for investigators. The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) conducts clinical trials in real-life settings and regularly monitors a number of variables critical to clinical trial implementation, including the retention and demographics of participants.

Purpose: The examination of gender, race/ethnicity, and age group differences with respect to retention characteristics in CTN trials.

Methods: Reports for 24 completed trials that recruited over 11,000 participants were reviewed, and associations of gender, race/ethnicity, and age group characteristics were examined along with the rate of treatment exposure, the proportion of follow-up assessments obtained, and the availability of primary outcome measure(s).

Results: Analysis of the CTN data did not indicate statistical differences in retention across gender or race/ethnicity groups; however, retention rates increased for older participants.

Conclusion: These results are based on a large sample of patients with substance use disorders recruited from a treatment-seeking population. The findings demonstrate that younger participants are less likely than older adults to be retained in clinical trials.

Keywords: addiction treatment; age; clinical trials; ethnic minorities; gender difference; race; recruitment; retention; substance use disorders.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Associations of gender with the availability of primary outcome measure(s), treatment exposure, and attendance at follow-up visits.a Notes: aLeast-squares means and corresponding 95% confidence intervals by gender, for each of the three participation measures. The indicated P-values reflect the comparison between genders.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Associations of race/ethnicity with the availability of primary outcome measure(s), treatment exposure, and attendance at follow-up visits.a Notes: aLeast-squares means and corresponding 95% confidence intervals by race/ethnicity, for each of the three participation measures. The indicated P-values reflect the comparison between race/ethnicity. Abbreviations: N-H A-A, non-Hispanic African American; Hisp, Hispanic; N-H Wh, non-Hispanic white.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Associations of age group with the availability of primary outcome measures, treatment exposure, and attendance at follow-up visits.a Notes: aLeast-squares means and corresponding 95% confidence intervals by age group, for each of the three participation measures. The indicated P-values reflect the comparison between age groups.
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