Recruitment of rural and cognitively impaired older adults for dental research

The recruitment of community-dwelling older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment and those residing in rural areas, has been consistently challenging for researchers, especially in the dental field. This study reports on recruitment experiences from an ongoing study investigating the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Special care in dentistry 2010-09, Vol.30 (5), p.193-199
Main Authors: Wu, Bei, Goedereis, Eric A, Crout, Richard J, Plassman, Brenda L, DiNapoli, Elizabeth A, McNeil, Daniel W, Wiener, Michael, Boone, Martin L, Wiener, R Constance, Kao, Elizabeth, Bai, Lina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Assisted Living Facilities
Attitude to Health
Cognition Disorders
Community Networks
Dental Care - utilization
Dental Research
Dentistry
Drug Therapy
Female
Health Education, Dental
Health Status
Humans
Independent Living
Information Dissemination
Interviews as Topic
Male
Mental Health
Mouth Diseases - classification
Neuropsychological Tests
Oral Health
Oral Hygiene
Patient Selection
Periodontal Diseases - classification
Research Design
Research Subjects
Rural Population
Tooth Diseases - classification
West Virginia
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Summary:The recruitment of community-dwelling older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment and those residing in rural areas, has been consistently challenging for researchers, especially in the dental field. This study reports on recruitment experiences from an ongoing study investigating the association between oral health and cognitive status in later life. Multiple recruitment strategies, including educational presentations and traveling to participants' homes, were used to enroll rural elderly participants with various levels of cognitive function. In general, multipronged, proactive recruitment strategies were more effective than traditional, passive methods in reaching participants with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. The outcome of this study suggests that successful recruitment of such populations involves gaining the support of staff at relevant community organizations, informing community members (including older adults and their family members) of the project and the importance of oral health, and making data collection sites accessible for older adults.
ISSN:0275-1879
1754-4505
DOI:10.1111/j.1754-4505.2010.00150.x