Peer-reviewed article

183 Explaining Research to Children and Adolescents

Johnson T, Black S, Smith B, Krystal J, Sevier B et al. · 27 Apr 2023

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: By establishing a youth-centric web-app as a central hub of information and inspiration in an attempt to engage a young demographic, this project aims to increase community awareness and reduce misconceptions surrounding clinical trials, in hopes of fairly representing marginalized communities among future clinical trial participants. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We designed a children’s web-app to host a collection of child-friendly educational materials (such as picture books, games, and age-appropriate articles about advances in clinical research) explaining clinical research and its process. An emphasis was put on ensuring the web-app and its contents were understandable and appealing to children. The effectiveness of this tool will be tested through a focus group study. Children ages 7-10 will be given a preliminary survey measuring their knowledge and opinions about clinical research, and then given time to explore the web-app. Afterwards, they will be given a secondary survey to gauge their acquired knowledge from the website and asked about their opinion on the design and usability of the web-app and its materials, as well as how likely they were to revisit the site. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate a very positive response from the children regarding the design and usability of the web-app and its materials. By using an adolescent-focused design methodology at every step of the design process, we will ensure that all materials are attractive and engaging to our younger target audience. Exposing children to accessible information about clinical trials at a young age allows us to build their trust in the research process prior to the possible internalization and acceptance of cultural misconceptions. Over time, we hope to see a change in attitudes toward clinical research as well as increased participation, whether from under-represented groups or a younger demographic, and positively contribute to T3 and onwards in the translational continuum. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In a rapidly changing world, the best approach to making change is through targeting the younger demographic, the leaders of tomorrow. Our project will allow adolescents to foster a more well-rounded opinion of clinical research, increasing their participation and better paving a more positively received future for translational science as a whole.