• Kumaravel Rajakumar, Stephen B Thomas, Donald Musa, Donna Almario, and Mary A Garza.
• General Academic Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 3705 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2583, USA. kumaravel.rajakumar@chp.edu
• Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009 Feb 1; 163 (2): 108-14.

ObjectiveTo assess and compare the attitudes and trust that African American and white parents have toward their children participating in research.DesignSelf-administered, cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of parents.SettingPrimary Care Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from August 2004 through April 2005.ParticipantsOne hundred ninety parents (140 African American and 50 white parents).Outcome MeasureParental distrust of medical research as measured by a summative score of distrusting responses to 8 questions assessing trust in research.ResultsAfrican American parents had significantly greater distrust than white parents (67% vs 50%, P = .04). Education was also associated with having significantly greater distrust (74% of those with ConclusionsThe degree of parental distrust toward medical research was significantly greater among African American parents. Parental distrust may be a barrier to enrollment of African American children in clinical research. Strategies for overcoming the higher level of distrust in African American parents are warranted for ensuring adequate representation of African American children in clinical research.

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