Skip Navigation



American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on October 25, 2008
American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwn277
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
168/12/1444    most recent
kwn277v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Samelson, E. J.
Right arrow Articles by Lipsitz, L. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Samelson, E. J.
Right arrow Articles by Lipsitz, L. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

American Journal of Epidemiology © The Author 2008. Published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Practice of Epidemiology

Issues in Conducting Epidemiologic Research Among Elders: Lessons From The MOBILIZE Boston Study

Elizabeth J. Samelson, Jennifer L. Kelsey, Douglas P. Kiel, Anthony M. Roman, L. Adrienne Cupples, Marcie B. Freeman, Richard N. Jones, Marian T. Hannan, Suzanne G. Leveille, Margaret M. Gagnon and Lewis A. Lipsitz

Correspondence to Dr. Elizabeth J. Samelson, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, 1200 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131 (e-mail: samelson{at}hrca.harvard.edu).

Received for publication May 21, 2008. Accepted for publication August 4, 2008.

Conducting research in elderly populations is important, but challenging. In this paper, the authors describe specific challenges that have arisen and solutions that have been used in carrying out The MOBILIZE Boston Study, a community-based, prospective cohort study in Massachusetts focusing on falls among 765 participants aged 70 years or older enrolled during 2005–2007. To recruit older individuals, face-to-face interactions are more effective than less personal approaches. Use of a board of community leaders facilitated community acceptance of the research. Establishing eligibility for potential participants required several interactions, so resources must be anticipated in advance. Assuring a safe and warm environment for elderly participants and offering a positive experience are a vital priority. Adequate funding, planning, and monitoring are required to provide transportation and a fully accessible environment in which to conduct study procedures as well as to select personnel highly skilled in interacting with elders. It is hoped that this paper will encourage and inform future epidemiologic research in this important segment of the population.

accidental falls; aged; aging; cohort studies; epidemiologic methods; patient selection; prospective studies

Abbreviations: MOBILIZE, Maintenance of Balance, Independent Living, Intellect, and Zest in the Elderly of Boston


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.