Abstract
Background: A recent meta-analysis suggested that racial/ethnic status is not a major determinant of willingness to participate in observational studies or treatment trials. However, little is known about the predictors of enrollment in family-based observational genetic studies. We tested the hypothesis that proband race/ethnicity is a significant predictor of enrolling a pedigree. Methods: Univariable and multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to determine proband characteristics that predict DNA donation from both members of an affected sibling pair. A total of 619 adult male and female probands with first-time or recurrent ischemic stroke and a positive sibling history of stroke enrolled across 53 hospitals and clinics in the United States and Canada into the Siblings with Ischemic Stroke Study, a family-based prospective genomics study. Results: In univariable analysis, probands with siblings who agreed to a blood draw for DNA analyses were more likely to be male and less likely to be nonwhite. In multivariable analysis, only race/ethnicity was significantly associated with likelihood of a proband's having a sibling who agreed to a blood draw. Conclusions: Contrary to observational studies that are not family based, the willingness of family members to participate in observational genetics studies may be influenced by race/ethnicity. This result reinforces the need for improving methods for recruiting diverse populations into genetic studies of stroke.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 299-302 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2008 |
Keywords
- Ethnicity
- genetics
- pedigree research
- race
- siblings
- stroke
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Rehabilitation
- Clinical Neurology
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine