INTRODUCING THE LIFE AFTER 90 STUDY: LESSONS LEARNED FROM RECRUITING A RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE COHORT OF PEOPLE AGE 90 AND OLDER

Katharine E. Vieira, Paola Gilsanz, Maria M. Corrada, Claudia H. Kawas, Charles Decarli, Dan M. Mungas, Maria Glymour, Charles P. Quesenberry, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, Natalie Slama, Sharan Johal, Rachel A. Whitmer
2019 Alzheimer's & Dementia  
enrollment data, such as: type of recruitment event (print media, word of mouth, community talks, etc.), return on participant contact, and participant follow-through. Data was split by ethnicity and recruitment approach. Results: The total number of new potential participants reached was 2,235. Of that, 1058 (47.3%) were scheduled for a study visit; of those scheduled, 867 (81.9%) completed the study. When broken down by ethnicity, most Non-Hispanic Whites were recruited through: word of mouth
more » ... (30.3%), print media (26.5%) and our referral program (17.0%). On the other hand, most Mexican Americans were recruited through: word of mouth (37.3%), community events/talks (25.6%) and non-paid local TV and newspaper (7.7%). Less fruitful efforts include: social media, health fairs and physician referrals. Conclusions: Recruiting elders into aging research involves varying types of recruitment techniques depending on the target population. Word of mouth was the most important overall recruitment strategy. Our data shows that recruiting elderly Mexican Americans requires a direct approach; community events/ talks in which our staff was present and interacting with attendees were highly effective. Non-Hispanic Whites responded mostly to an indirect approach: print media (brochures, postcards or paid newspaper advertisements). Overall our successful enrollment strategies and our acquired understanding of the ethnic differences in recruitment techniques can be used in the future to recruit more elderly minorities into research.
doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2019.06.1150 fatcat:p5ehdboetfhu7msel3pewikn6m