Predictors of Retention Among African American and Hispanic Older Adult Research Participants in the Well Elderly 2 Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document predictors of long-term retention among minority participants in the Well Elderly 2 Study, a randomized controlled trial of a lifestyle intervention for community-dwelling older adults. The primary sample included 149 African American and 92 Hispanic men and women aged 60–95 years, recruited at senior activity centers and senior residences. Chi-square and logistic regression procedures were undertaken to examine study-based, psychosocial, and health-related predictors of retention at 18 months following study entry. For both African Americans and Hispanics, intervention adherence was the strongest predictor. Retention was also related to high active coping and average (vs. high or low) levels of activity participation among African Americans and high social network strength among Hispanics. The results suggest that improved knowledge of the predictors of retention among minority elders can spawn new retention strategies that can be applied at individual, subgroup, and sample-wide levels.

Effect of a Lifestyle-Based Intervention on Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults with Hypertension

“…The data from the Well Elderly 2 Study were provided by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [ 28 ]. The research design, methods, and the intervention of the Well Elderly 2 Study have been previously described in detail by Clark, Carlson, Jackson, and their colleagues [ 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 ]. Briefly, in the original study, a convenience sample was recruited from the urban Los Angeles area in California [ 28 , 30 , 31 ].…”

“…After 6 months, the control group received a delayed intervention (the same 6-month lifestyle intervention as the intervention group). The 6-month lifestyle-based intervention included weekly 2-hour group meetings, 10 individual 1-hour sessions in homes or community settings, and monthly community outings [ 27 , 30 ]. The modular content of the intervention comprised “impact of everyday activity on health, time spending and energy conservation, transportation utilization, home and community safety, social relationship, cultural awareness, goal setting, and changing routines and habits” (30, p. 783; 31).…”

“…Healthy aging is largely determined by individual lifestyle choices [ 1 , 26 ]. Lifestyle interventions have been found to promote physical functioning and mental health in older adults [ 27 , 28 ]. However, few research studies tested the effects of lifestyle interventions in older adults with hypertension.…”

Promoting Retention

“…However, those retained were healthier than those lost to follow-up (Hudson, Leventhal, Contrada, Leventhal, & Brownlee, 2000). The number of group and individual sessions attended, frequency of all activity, and higher scores on an active coping scale (measuring the ability to successfully respond to stressful events) have been identified as predictors for the retention of African American elders in a lifestyle-based health intervention program (Carlson et al, 2014). …”

How to improve participant compliance in clinical trials: A Scoping Review of process factors

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