Applying the Integrated Behavioral Model to Better Understand Asian Women’s Decisions to Participate in a Unique Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer (BC) has the highest cancer incidence among U.S. women. Although Asian women have lower BC rates than non-Hispanic white and Black women, their incidence has increased by 2.6% annually over the past decade. Cultural and language barriers often limit screening and healthcare access, contributing to disparities. Despite this rising trend, Asian women remain underrepresented in clinical trials and biobanking initiatives. The Komen Tissue Bank (KTB) is a clinical trial and biorepository that provides researchers with healthy breast tissue to advance BC research. This health communication study applies the Integrated Behavior Model to explore the motivations of Asian women who donated healthy breast tissue to the KTB.

Methods: Participants (N=20) who self-identified as Asian and had previously donated healthy breast tissue to the KTB were recruited through an email requesting their voluntary participation in an interview conducted over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Fifty emails were sent weekly until the predetermined goal of a minimum of 20 participants was reached.

Results: In this study, participants were highly motivated by a desire to address underrepresentation of Asian women in research and contribute meaningfully to scientific advancement, reflecting positive instrumental attitudes. Many expressed altruistic motivations and wanted to help future generations, demonstrating a strong legacy norm. Having scientific backgrounds, familial support, and lack of external barriers (like cost or transportation) enhanced participants’ perceived control. Participants also felt empowered by contributing to research, which displayed high self-efficacy.

Conclusion and Future Work: This study highlights the legacy norm, desire to increase representation, and support for research that drives Asian women to participate in healthy breast tissue donation through the KTB. These findings can inform targeted strategies to increase Asian women’s participation in research. Future work can test these approaches and explore motivational differences across Asian subgroups to guide recruitment efforts.