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ARTICLE: Recruitment of rural and cognitively impaired older adults for dental research
Author(s) -
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
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
special care in dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.328
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1754-4505
pISSN - 0275-1879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1754-4505.2010.00150.x
Subject(s) - medicine , gerontology , cognition , oral health , cognitive impairment , rural community , family medicine , psychiatry , demography , sociology
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.