Recruiting Seniors With Chronic Low Back Pain for a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Self-Management Program
Objective
To identify recruitment challenges and elucidate specific strategies that enabled recruitment of seniors for a randomized trial on low back pain comparing the Chronic Disease Self-management Program of the Stanford University to a 6-month wait-list control group.
Design
Recruitment for a randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Community-based program offered at 12 locations.
Participants
Community-dwelling seniors 60 years and older with chronic low back pain of mechanical origin.
Methods
Passive recruitment strategies included advertisement in local and senior newspapers, in senior e-mail newsletters and listservs, in local community centers and businesses. Active strategies included meeting seniors at health fairs, lectures to the public and organizational meetings, and the help of trusted professionals in the community.
Results
A total of 100 white and 20 African American seniors were recruited. The program seemed to have the most appeal to white, middle-class older adults, educated through high school level. Advertisement failed to attract any participants to the program. Successful strategies included interaction with seniors at health fairs and lectures on health care, especially when the program was endorsed by a trusted community professional.
Conclusion
Generating interest in the self-management program required keen communication skills because the idea of “self-management” was met with a myriad of responses, ranging from disinterest to disbelief. Generating interest also required active participation within the communities. Initial contacts had to be established with trusted professionals, whose endorsement enabled the project managers to present the concept of self-management to the seniors. More complex recruitment strategies were required for this study involving the self-management approach to back pain than for studies involving treatment.
aFormerly Research Associate, Center for Outcomes Studies, Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, Ore
bProfessor and Dean of Research, Center for Outcomes Studies, Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, Ore
cDirector of Academic Program Development, Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, Ore
dResearch Coordinator and Project Manager, Center for Outcome Studies, Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, Ore
eIT Director, National College of Naturopathic Medicine (formerly from the Center of Outcome Studies, Western States Chiropractic College), Portland, Ore
Submit requests for reprints to: Mitchell Haas, DC Western States Chiropractic College, 2900 NE 132nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97230.
Sources of Support: Funding was provided through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services (R18 HP10012).
ABSTRACT