Paths to Participation With Black Adults: Identifying Recruitment Preferences and Interest in a Digital Nutrition Intervention to Reduce Hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To examine the recruitment preferences of Black adults with hypertension who were recruited to participate in Nourish, a multicomponent intervention to promote adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. DESIGN: A qualitative study ancillary to the Nourish randomized controlled trial, conducted using individual interviews. SETTING: A public university in the Northeastern US. PARTICIPANTS: Black adults with hypertension (male: n = 16, female: n = 14). PHENOMENON OF INTEREST: Recruitment needs for diverse participation in a digital nutrition trial to address hypertension. ANALYSIS: Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate themes by sex. RESULTS: Four themes were generated: (1) Black adults want to participate in digital nutrition interventions that target hypertension and overall health; (2) cultural, historical, and contextual competence is more important than dietitian race; (3) technology, family, self, and health must be evident in recruitment materials; and (4) use traditional (e.g., church) and digital recruitment placement. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Participation in a digital nutrition trial may be supported through recruitment materials that reflect Black adults and their lived experiences, placement in traditional or digital sites, and the inclusion of culturally competent dietitians. This may support greater representation of Black adults in nutrition interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk.