African Americans are more distrustful of research and the medical community compared to white Americans, according to a study analyzing data from 527 African American and 382 white respondents. The study found that African Americans were more likely to distrust their physicians' ability to fully explain research participation and to believe their physicians exposed them to unnecessary risks. The mean distrust index score was significantly higher for African Americans (3.1) than for white Americans (1.8). After controlling for sociodemographic factors, race remained strongly associated with higher distrust scores. The study highlights that racial differences in distrust have important implications for researchers seeking to engage African Americans in clinical studies. The findings suggest that trust is a critical factor in participation in research, and that African Americans may be less trusting due to historical experiences of racial discrimination and exploitation. The study also notes that socioeconomic status had a small confounding effect on the relationship between race and distrust. The authors recommend that researchers focus on building interpersonal trust with community members through ongoing engagement and dialogue to improve recruitment of African Americans into clinical research. The study was funded by several grants and was presented at a conference on general internal medicine.African Americans are more distrustful of research and the medical community compared to white Americans, according to a study analyzing data from 527 African American and 382 white respondents. The study found that African Americans were more likely to distrust their physicians' ability to fully explain research participation and to believe their physicians exposed them to unnecessary risks. The mean distrust index score was significantly higher for African Americans (3.1) than for white Americans (1.8). After controlling for sociodemographic factors, race remained strongly associated with higher distrust scores. The study highlights that racial differences in distrust have important implications for researchers seeking to engage African Americans in clinical studies. The findings suggest that trust is a critical factor in participation in research, and that African Americans may be less trusting due to historical experiences of racial discrimination and exploitation. The study also notes that socioeconomic status had a small confounding effect on the relationship between race and distrust. The authors recommend that researchers focus on building interpersonal trust with community members through ongoing engagement and dialogue to improve recruitment of African Americans into clinical research. The study was funded by several grants and was presented at a conference on general internal medicine.