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Research in the retirement village community—The problems of recruiting a representative cohort of residents in Auckland, New Zealand
Author(s) -
Joseph Connolly Martin,
Hikaka Joanna,
Bloomfield Katherine,
Broad Joanna,
Wu Zhenqiang,
Boyd Michal,
Peri Kathy,
Calvert Cheryl,
Tatton Annie,
Higgins AnnMarie,
Bramley Dale
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12898
Subject(s) - cohort , legislation , medicine , population , intervention (counseling) , socioeconomics , gerontology , geography , demography , environmental health , nursing , sociology , political science , law
Objectives Retirement villages are semi‐closed communities, access usually being gained via village managers. This paper explores issues recruiting a representative resident cohort, as background to a study of residents, to acquire sociodemographic, health and disability data and trial an intervention designed to improve outcomes. Methods We planned approaching all Auckland/Waitematā District villages and, via managers, contacting residents (‘letter‐drop’; ‘door‐knocks’). In ‘small’ villages (n ≤ 60 units), we planned contacting all residents, randomly selecting in ‘larger’ villages. We excluded those with doubtful or absent legal capacity. Results We approached managers of 53 of 65 villages. Thirty‐four permitted recruitment. Some prohibited ‘letter‐drops’ and/or ‘door‐knocks’. Hence, we recruited volunteers (23 villages) via meetings, posters, newsletters and word‐of‐mouth, that is representative sampling obtained from 11/34 villages. We recruited 578 residents (median age = 82 years; 420 = female; 217:361 sampled:volunteers), finding differences in baseline parameters of sampled vs. volunteers. Conclusion Due to organisational/managers’ policy, and national legislation restrictions, our sample does not represent our intended population well. Researchers should investigate alternative data sources, for example electoral rolls and censuses.