Characterization of barriers and facilitators to recruiting veterans to participate in Alzheimer's disease biomarker research: a cross‐sectional survey

Abstract INTRODUCTION This study examined veteran‐specific factors affecting interest in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) biomarker research participation. METHODS In this study, 505 community‐dwelling older adults (age ≥55) who had never participated in AD research, including 179 veterans, completed a survey about their perceptions of AD biomarker research. RESULTS Most veterans expressed interest in doing biomarker research (74.0%). They were more likely than non‐veterans to be very concerned about their memory and thinking (31.8% vs 20.6%, p = 0.041) and view research participation as an activity that everyone should do (64.8% vs 52.9%, p = 0.045). However, they were more likely to perceive positron emission tomography scans as unsafe (27.1% vs 14.0%, p = 0.027). DISCUSSION Veterans have distinct facilitators and barriers to AD research participation. Future studies to develop veteran‐centered recruitment strategies should consider differences in motivators, knowledge levels, and hesitancy for specific research procedures.