The Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study: Theory-Informed Recruitment in an African American Population.

Recruitment for large cohort studies is typically challenging, particularly when the pool of potential participants is limited to the descendants of individuals enrolled in a larger, longitudinal "parent" study. The increasing complexity of family structures and dynamics can present challenges for recruitment in offspring. Few best practices exist to guide effective and efficient empirical approaches to participant recruitment. Social and behavioral theories can provide insight into social and cultural contexts influencing individual decision-making and facilitate the development strategies for effective diffusion and marketing of an offspring cohort study. The purpose of this study was to describe the theory-informed recruitment approaches employed by the Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study (JHKS), a prospective offspring feasibility study of 200 African American children and grandchildren of the Jackson Heart Study (JHS)-the largest prospective cohort study examining cardiovascular disease among African American adults. Participant recruitment in the JHKS was founded on concepts from three theoretical perspectives-the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Strength of Weak Ties, and Marketing Theory. Tailored recruitment strategies grounded in participatory strategies allowed us to exceed enrollment goals for JHKS Pilot Study and develop a framework for a statewide study of African American adolescents.

Study design for genetic analysis in the Jackson Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the preparation of genetic materials and the recruitment and initial characterization of a nested Family Study within the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) METHODS: Genomic DNA was prepared from all consenting JHS participants. In addition, family members of a subset of JHS participants were recruited to the JHS Family Study to allow heritability and linkage analyses and family-based association studies. Family Study participants completed the same questionnaires, measures, and procedures as all other JHS participants and provided blood samples for lymphocyte cryopreservation and transformation. RESULTS: DNA samples were obtained from 4726 JHS participants, including 1499 members of 291 families. In the family cohort, estimated heritabilities of body mass index, selected lipid levels, and blood pressure are highly significant, supporting the validity of the sample. DISCUSSION: The JHS data and genetic materials (DNA and cryopreserved cells) offer valuable opportunities to identify susceptibility alleles for common complex diseases by positional and candidate gene approaches.