Willingness to Participate in Health Research: Mexican and Mexican American Women’s Perspectives

Background: Lack of racial and ethnic diversity in health research negatively impacts generalizability. We describe Mexican and Mexican American women’s willingness to participate in health research in Oregon. Methods: We conducted a survey with Mexican-origin Latinas aged 18–49 years. Our primary outcome was willingness to participate in health research; we also asked sociodemographics and barriers and facilitators to participation. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with willingness to participate. Results: Of 500 participants, 41% said that they would be willing to participate in health research, 14% said no, and 45% were unsure. In multivariable analyses, past participation in research and speaking English well were independently associated with willingness to participate. Barriers to participation included language, accessibility, and fear of medical procedures. Facilitators included improving future health care, language, and free medical care. Conclusions: Mexican-origin Latinas in Oregon are willing to participate in health research, but many are unsure. Providing study materials in Spanish is a concrete first step to improve recruitment and promote equity and inclusion.