Insights from the development of an online toolkit to promote community engaged substance use research in the Southwest Borderlands Region

The Exploring Health Beliefs for Community Engagement and Diversity in Clinical Trials (EXPLORE) Toolkit is an online resource designed to support researchers and frontline workers addressing substance use in the Borderlands region of the Southwestern United States. Developed by an interdisciplinary team from the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University, the toolkit aims to enhance engagement of underrepresented communities in substance use clinical trials through culturally sensitive, community-centered research practices. This paper presents the design, creation, and testing of the toolkit through multiple phases from initial design to final evaluation. Quantitative findings showed strong endorsement of the toolkit, with 79% of participants rating it "Very important" for promoting culturally competent research. Domain-specific ratings averaged 4.48–4.61 on a 5-point scale, with highest ratings for "Building on Community Strengths" (4.61). Post-testing showed improved attitudes toward clinical research participation (pre: 7.19, post: 7.94 on a 10-point scale) and enhanced understanding of research terminology (pre: 7.97, post: 8.74). Qualitative findings revealed critical themes including the importance of cultural appropriateness, community gatekeepers' roles, and confidentiality concerns, particularly in rural and border communities. The EXPLORE Toolkit demonstrates promise for bridging research-community gaps while highlighting the value of interdisciplinary, community-centered approaches. Results suggest its potential for enhancing diverse community participation in clinical trials while emphasizing the need for ongoing adaptation to specific community contexts. The toolkit is available at the following link: https://sites.google.com/view/exploretoolkitcopy/home?authuser=0