Perspectives on Focus Group Participation and Remuneration

Recruiting participants from underserved and marginalized communities for behavioral research is an essential yet challenging task. We examined participants' motivation to participate in a focus group about health communication and their beliefs about appropriate remuneration for participation. Twelve focus groups were conducted with low-income African American and Latina adolescent girls and African American women. We utilized a grounded theory approach and thematic analysis to examine views about research participation and remuneration. This study can inform important considerations about the consent process, study recruitment, and remuneration.