Engaging the oldest old in research: lessons from the Newcastle 85+ study

BMC Geriatrics

Correspondence

Karen Davies¹  Joan Hughes¹  Joanna C Collerton¹  Carol Jagger¹  Judith M Hunt¹  June Edwards¹  Sally AH Barker¹  Louise Robinson²  John Bond² 

[1] Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK;Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK;Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Baddiley-Clark Building, Richardson Road, NE2 4AX, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK;

关键词: Care Home;    Home Visit;    Health Assessment;    Mental Capacity;    Information Booklet;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2318-10-64

 received in 2010-04-08, accepted in 2010-09-17,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThose aged 85 and over, the oldest old, are now the fastest growing sector of the population. Information on their health is essential to inform future planning; however, there is a paucity of up-to-date information on the oldest old, who are often excluded from research. The aim of the Newcastle 85+ Study is to investigate the health of a cohort of 85-year-olds from a biological, medical and psychosocial perspective. This paper describes the methods employed for the successful recruitment, retention and evaluation of this cohort.MethodsParticipants were all individuals born in 1921 and registered with a participating general practice in Newcastle and North Tyneside, UK. Involvement comprised detailed health assessments, by a nurse, in their usual place of residence and/or review of their general practice medical records.ResultsOf the 1453 individuals eligible to participate, 72% (n = 1042) were recruited; 59% (n = 851) consented to both health assessment and review of general practice records. Key factors for successful involvement included protected time to engage with family and other key gatekeepers, minimising participant burden, through for example home based assessment, and flexibility of approach. Cognitive impairment is a significant issue; due consideration should be given to the ethical and legal issues of capacity and consent. Interim withdrawal rates at phase 2 (18 month post baseline), show 88 out of 854 participants (10%) had withdrawn with approval for continued use of data and materials and a further 2 participants (0.2%) had withdrawn and requested that all data be destroyed. Attrition due to death of participants within this same time frame was 135 (16%).ConclusionOur recruitment rates were good and compared favourably with other similar UK and international longitudinal studies of the oldest old. The challenges of and successful strategies for involving, recruiting and retaining the oldest old in research, including those in institutions, are described to facilitate adequate representation of this growing population in future research into ageing.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Davies et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010