Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107290

Susan L. Hughes, DSW¹, Pankaja Desai, MSW, MPH², and Rachel B. Seymour, PhD¹. (1) School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Center for Research on Health and Aging, 1747 W. Roosevelt Road # 558 MC 275, Chicago, IL 60608, 312-996-1473, shughes@uic.edu, (2) Center for Research on Health and Aging, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, Room 558 (MC 275), Chicago, IL 60608

The evidence-based Fit and Strong! 8-week intervention for older adults with lower-extremity osteoarthritis couples flexibility, strength training and aerobic walking with health education for sustained behavior change. We are currently conducting a follow-up randomized trial to test two strategies to promote long-term maintenance, with and without telephone reinforcement, following participation in Fit and Strong!. The trial includes 600 older adults with lower-extremity osteoarthritis at 4 regional senior centers in Chicago, two of which serve African American seniors. Recruitment strategies that succeed in enrolling minority participants are critical to this study. To date, we have received 696 calls from interested individuals and enrolled 161 participants of whom 58.4% are minority older adults. An additional 82 individuals (11%) chose to defer to a subsequent iteration. The most successful strategies used to date include posting flyers at senior centers, presentations at senior center and city-wide senior events, and collaboration with the Chicago Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation on a targeted mailing to its members. Retention of participants is also of vital importance. Average attendance for participants in the first two iterations of Fit and Strong! was 75% (18/24 sessions), with 73% of participants attending a minimum of 75% of the sessions. Research staff contact participants after two consecutive missed classes to determine the reason for missing class and to attempt to reactivate the participant. Data collected regarding reasons for dropout will be also presented and discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Describe successful recruitment strategies for increasing minority participation.
• 2. Discuss methods of monitoring attendance, dropouts, and for reactivation of participants following missed classes.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation