Background: Hispanic/Latino adults are athigh risk of cognitive impairment yet remain underrepresented in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research. Improving clinical trials representation is a major focus of research. Prior work has largely conceptualized research participation as a function of barriers and facilitators. This study examines how community-dwelling Hispanic/Latino older adults evaluate and navigate decisions about Alzheimer’s disease research participation.

 

 

Results: Most interviewees were Spanish speakers and thus completed interviews in Spanish. Many reported less than a high school education. Four themes were identified: (1) Conditional willingness, in which participants framed participation as contingent on preconditions such as evaluation of informational transparency, personal relevance and safety; (2) Community recruitment is effective when it involves personalized, bi-directional conversations that foster understanding and trust; (3) Personal relevance to health as a central motivation, with compensation as secondary consideration, and (4) Structural barriers, including limited knowledge of how to enroll, digital literacy challenges, and physical limitations.

 

Conclusions: These findings highlight that research participation, among Hispanic/Latino older adults, is a dynamic decision-making process in which initial conditions that includes trusted outreach and informational transparency, shape subsequent evaluations of personal relevance and practical feasibility, rather than reflecting a simple balance of barriers and facilitators.