Ralph V. Katz ^1*, S. Stephen Kegeles ², Nancy R. Kressin ³, B. Lee Green ⁴, Sherman A. James ⁵, Min Qi Wang ⁶, Stefanie L. Russell ¹, Cristina Claudio ⁷

¹ NYU College of Dentistry
² Unversity of Connecticut School of Dental Medine
³ Bedford VA and Boston University Medical School
⁴ H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
⁵ Duke University
⁶ University of Maryland
⁷ University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ralph.katz{at}nyu.edu.

	Abstract

Objectives. We compared the influence of awareness of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the presidential apology for that study on the willingness of Blacks, non-Hispanic Whites, and Hispanics to participate in biomedical research.

Methods. The Tuskegee Legacy Project Questionnaire was administered to 1133 adults in 4 US cities. This 60-item questionnaire addressed issues related to the recruitment of minorities into biomedical studies.

Results. Adjusted multivariate analysis showed that, compared with Whites, Blacks were nearly 4 times as likely to have heard of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, more than twice as likely to have correctly named Clinton as the president who made the apology, and 2 to 3 times more likely to have been willing to participate in biomedical studies despite having heard about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (odds ration [OR]=2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.4, 6.2) or the presidential apology (OR=2.3; 95% CI=1.4, 3.9).

Conclusions. These marked differences likely reflect the cultural reality in the Black community, which has been accustomed to increased risks in many activities. For Whites, this type of information may have been more shocking and at odds with their expectations and, thus, led to a stronger negative impact.

Key Words: Epidemiology, Ethics, Health Promotion, Race/Ethnicity, Surveys