BACKGROUND: Although interest in health promotion for the elderly is increasing, the issues of recruitment into such programs and self-selection have not been well explored. While clinical studies require high participation levels and expensive recruitment, community efforts are satisfied with recruiting small numbers of volunteers from poorly defined populations. These small samples may not be representative of the populations at risk. METHODS: As part of the Rural Health Promotion Project, a Medicare demonstration, community-based recruitment methods were evaluated and participant characteristics were compared. A total of 3,884 individuals ages 65-79 were recruited in northwestern Pennsylvania, using four sequential recruitment strategies, varying in aggressiveness. The methods were: (A) mail only, (B) mail with phone recruitment follow-up, (C) mail with phone recruitment and scheduling, and (D) mail with aggressive phone recruitment and scheduling. RESULTS: Recruitment yields were Method A, 13.5%; B, 21.1%; and C, 31.6%. The most aggressive Method (D) yielded 37.0% participation. More aggressive methods (C and D) recruited more educated individuals. No other demographic or health status differences were noted. CONCLUSION: These data show that large numbers of the elderly can be recruited into a health promotion program using aggressive methods and professional interviewers.
BACKGROUND: Although interest in health promotion for the elderly is increasing, the issues of recruitment into such programs and self-selection have not been well explored. While clinical studies require high participation levels and expensive recruitment, community efforts are satisfied with recruiting small numbers of volunteers from poorly defined populations. These small samples may not be representative of the populations at risk. METHODS: As part of the Rural Health Promotion Project, a Medicare demonstration, community-based recruitment methods were evaluated and participant characteristics were compared. A total of 3,884 individuals ages 65-79 were recruited in northwestern Pennsylvania, using four sequential recruitment strategies, varying in aggressiveness. The methods were: (A) mail only, (B) mail with phone recruitment follow-up, (C) mail with phone recruitment and scheduling, and (D) mail with aggressive phone recruitment and scheduling. RESULTS: Recruitment yields were Method A, 13.5%; B, 21.1%; and C, 31.6%. The most aggressive Method (D) yielded 37.0% participation. More aggressive methods (C and D) recruited more educated individuals. No other demographic or health status differences were noted. CONCLUSION: These data show that large numbers of the elderly can be recruited into a health promotion program using aggressive methods and professional interviewers.
Authors: Elizabeth J Samelson; Jennifer L Kelsey; Douglas P Kiel; Anthony M Roman; L Adrienne Cupples; Marcie B Freeman; Richard N Jones; Marian T Hannan; Suzanne G Leveille; Margaret M Gagnon; Lewis A Lipsitz Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2008-10-25 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Marcia G Ory; Paula Darby Lipman; Patricia L Karlen; Meghan B Gerety; Victor J Stevens; Maria A Fiatarone Singh; David M Buchner; Kenneth B Schechtman Journal: Prev Sci Date: 2002-03
Authors: Divyanshu Raheja; Evelyn P Davila; Eric T Johnson; Rijalda Deović; Michele Paine; Nadine Rouphael Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2018-08-14 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Barbara A Myers; Yegan Pillay; W Guyton Hornsby; Jay Shubrook; Chandan Saha; Kieren J Mather; Karen Fitzpatrick; Mary de Groot Journal: Trials Date: 2019-11-06 Impact factor: 2.279