Community-engaged approach aims to make nutrition clinical trials more inclusive of diverse communities

Historically, clinical trials have struggled to reflect the diversity of the populations they aim to serve. This is often the case with nutrition clinical trials, where African America/Black (AA) and Latino communities are widely underrepresented despite being disproportionally impacted by cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes. To address this, an innovative community-engaged approach is hoping to transform the ways in which research is conducted by developing culturally informed strategies to improve trial diversity in nutrition trials. 

A team of researchers from UCLA have successfully formed a precision nutrition community consultant panel (PNCCP) to engage the community in clinical trial research. In partnership with researchers from USC, Boise State University and the Mayo Clinic, the study, recently published in Nutrients, found that their PNCCP approach provides an effective framework for identifying barriers to diverse clinical trial participation, as well as developing culturally tailored strategies to enhance trial diversity in the future. 

The PNCCP met virtually over the course of one year to discuss the Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) trial, part of the National Institute of Health’s All of Us research initiative which aims collect study data from one million Americans nationwide. Comprised of diverse participants from the AA and Latino communities, the PNCCP identified four major thematic recommendations for addressing the lack of clinical trial diversity. These recommendations included:

1. reducing structural barriers to recruitment;
2. making recruitment materials culturally tailored and participant-centered;
3. conducting community-engaged trial recruitment; and
4. considering the acceptability of trial procedures for inclusivity of and acceptability by diverse populations. 

With this feedback, the research team was able to implement initial changes in the NPH trial at UCLA, such as enhancing study staff diversity and training, improving access to the research team, and modifying outreach strategies.

The UCLA CTSI provided support for the study through the Community Engagement and Research Program, which played a fundamental role in organizing outreach events across Los Angeles aiding in recruitment for the NPH clinical trial, as well as providing administrative and networking support to the PNCCP and other community engagement presentations.

"With UCLA CTSI CERP’s support, we were able to center community voices in the design and implementation of the NPH clinical trial," noted Jachael Gardner, Project Director for iDIVERSE and AIM AHEAD initiatives, as well as co-author on the study. "By addressing barriers and tailoring strategies to meet cultural needs, our work highlights that community engagement – from the start – is vital for ensuring equitable participation in clinical research. Researchers can often times rely solely on literature, past research experiences, etc. While those sources are valuable, there’s no substitute for directly consulting with and seeking input of communities you aim to serve. This approach paves the way for more inclusive and impactful advancements in precision nutrition and beyond.”

To learn more about the CTSI’s commitment to community-engaged research, visit the Community Engagement and Research Program’s (CERP) webpage. 

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