It’s called the BROTHER study which stands for “Building Resilience & Opportunity through Health & Economic Resources”. The purpose of this study is to understand how income affects people's health.

This is a behavioral study through the College of Public Health. We will not be collecting any samples, providing medicines, or running any tests. Our study includes asking you questions about yourself as well as taking your height and weight measurements. If you join the study, we will also ask you to fill out some forms including a medical release form to review your medical records. Your time participating in study activities after enrollment will be compensated.

Work and income, now and in the past Physical health, including sexual health Mental health, including drug and alcohol use Support from friends and family Any trauma or abuse you have experienced Discrimination and racism you may have experienced

During the study, we will ask private things about you. This includes: Basic details about you: Name Telephone number Age Race Information about your: Money Jobs Mental health Substance use Activities that may not be legal Legal history Use of health care Weight, height, and waist size Sexual health

The first step is completing the eligibility screener online or with one of your study team members. The screener will only take 5 minutes to complete. If you are eligible and enroll in the study, there are three forms of data collection that will take place. Your time participating in all of the following study activities after enrollment will be compensated. There will be 3 in-person meetings to complete study questionnaires. These will take about 2 hours and happen three times over 12 months. In-person questionnaires will take place when you first join the study, 6 months after you join the study, and 12 months after you join the study. We will meet you at a time and location that is convenient for you. For 6 months after joining the study, there will be a short questionnaire sent each week that will take about 5 minutes to complete via text message or mail, whichever you prefer. There will be 2 brief check-in phone calls 3-months and 9 months after joining the study.

Yes. You will be paid on a reloadable debit card for your time completing each questionnaire you complete once you are enrolled in the study.

We know from past research that many people with low income do not get their needs met, which may affect their health and well-being. If you join this study, you could help the research team learn how to help people with low income get their needs met and how that affects their health and well-being. The main goal of this research is to study how people’s behaviors and well-being changes when they get a monthly income payment. We are asking people like you to help us. We want to learn from adult Black men in Pulaski County with low income and health problems. We plan to have about 530 people join the study. If you want to be in the study, staff may ask you some questions to make sure you can join.

You can stop being in the study at any time. If you decide later to quit, tell study staff. You can tell them during a schedule visit.

The local study team will know your name and have access to your information. We will do our best to make sure no one outside the study knows you are part of the study. We do not currently plan to share your information with researchers outside of UAMS. But, we may choose to do so in the future with approval from the UAMS Institutional Review Board (IRB). We may share the overall results of the study. Examples are in talks we give to community organizations or at conferences, and papers we write. In those reports, we will not include your name or other details that let people know who was in the study. Any results shared with others will be based on the answers of everyone who participated, not a particular person.

The study will not cost you anything. You or your insurance company will be responsible for your regular health care. This includes medicines and lab tests. We will not be preforming any medical tests or collecting any labs and biomedical samples like urine, blood, or oral swabs.

The National Institutes of Health. Specifically, our research team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health was awarded funding through the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities grant number RFA-MD-21-004 entitled, “Understanding and Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination on Minority Health and Health Disparities”.

This website may have words you do not know and these complex concepts may bring up other questions. We would welcome an opportunity to talk to you about these questions. Please contact our study office to ask questions at any time. We look forward to speaking with you and appreciate your consideration of joining the BROTHER study.