Recruiting Populations at Higher Risk for Glaucoma and Other Eye Diseases Experiencing Eye Health Disparities

ABSTRACT

Purpose

We compared recruitment of participants at high risk for glaucoma and other eye diseases in three community-based studies designed to improve access to eye care in underserved populations in New York City, Alabama, and Michigan.

Methods

We used (1) participant data collected at enrollment (e.g. demographic, medical conditions, healthcare access, and method of hearing about study) and (2) interviews with study staff to assess effective recruitment strategies in enrolling people at high risk for eye disease. We analyzed participant data using descriptive statistics and interview data using content analysis to categorize responses to questions.

Results

In these community-based studies, all sites recruited greater proportions of populations with increased risk of eye disease compared to their estimates in the US population. High-risk characteristics varied based on the setting (i.e. Federally Qualified Health Centers or affordable housing buildings). Older adults represented 35% to 57%; 43% to 56% identified as Black; 1% to 40% as Hispanic/Latino; 20% to 42% reported a family history of glaucoma; 32% to 61% reported diabetes; and 50% to 67% reported high blood pressure. Social risk factors for under-utilization of eye care due to poverty included that 43% to 70% of participants had high school or lower education; 16% to 40% were employed; and 7% and 31% had no health insurance. From a qualitative perspective, active, personalized, culturally sensitive methods were most effective in recruiting participants.

Conclusion

Implementing eye disease detection interventions in community-based settings facilitated recruiting individuals at high risk for glaucoma and other eye diseases.

KEYWORDS:

• community-based, social determinants of health
• eye care
• eye disease
• glaucoma
• high-risk
• recruitment

Acknowledgments

Jianru Chen at Westat, and the SIGHT Studies Working Group, which includes the following members. Mia A. Woodward, MD, MS, Angela Elam, MD, Leslie M. Niziol MS, David Musch, MPH, PhD, Jason Zhang, MD, Amanda Bicket, MD, Joah Aliancy, MD, Denise John, MD, Ming-Chen Lu, MS, and Suzanne Winter, MS at the University of Michigan. Martha Kershaw, MD and Ann Marie Peterson at Hope Clinic in Michigan and Leroy Johnson, MD at Hamilton Clinic, Michigan. Mitzi Swift, COA, OSC, Van Thi Ha Nghiem, PhD, Shilpa Register OD, PhD, Irfan Asif, MD, Thomas Swain, MPH, Gerald McGwin Jr., MS, PhD, Cynthia Owsley, PhD, MSPH, and Christopher A. Girkin, MD, MSPH at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. George A. Cioffi, MD, Jeffrey M. Liebmann, MD, Jason D. Horowitz, MD, Lisa Park, MD, James D. Auran, MD, Prakash Gorroochurn, PhD, Stefania C. Maruri, BS, Desiree Henriquez, BA, and Daniel Diamond, OD at Columbia University.

Disclosure statement

Lindsay Rhodes reports being a consultant with Johnson and Johnson Vision and Member of the Identifeye Medical Advisory Board outside the submitted work. Paula Anne Newman-Casey also received funding from NIH (R01EY031337). No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed from the other authors.

The submission has not been published previously or simultaneously being considered for any other publication.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2023.2232038.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under awards to Columbia University (# # U01DP006435 and #U01DP006436), University of Alabama at Birmingham (# U01DP006441), and University of Michigan (# U01DP006442).