Dados do Trabalho

Título

Recruitment analysis by media in a study of Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Resumo

Introduction: Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) is conceptualized as cognitive complaints in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals and is associated with progressive cognitive impairments. Recruiting these individuals can be challenging, especially because of the low education levels and limited access to information by a portion of the Brazilian population. Objective: We aimed to analyze the initial recruitment process through media in an ongoing study about SCD at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA). Methods: We analyzed the recruitment process through electronic (HCPA website and Twitter) and written local media of the participants in the study "Subjective Cognitive Decline and Cognitive Reserve: a multimodal approach". This study evaluated CU individuals aged 65+ years-old, with educational levels < 5 or >10 years and with cognitive complaints. Exclusion criteria were the presence of uncontrolled psychiatric or clinical illness, cerebrovascular disease, and the use of psychotropic drugs. The recruitment was carried out exclusively by phone calls in two phases. In the first one, the exclusion criteria were applied and, in the second, the following scales were performed: Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M); Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-2); Geriatric Depression Scale; and the Subjective Cognitive Decline Scale. Results: From February to May 2022, 169 individuals presented interest in participating in the study. Most were women (74%; n=125), with a median age of 71 years-old [interquartile range (IQR): 67-74], a median of 11 years of formal schooling (IQR: 8.5-16), and most lived in Porto Alegre (71.6%; n=121). Most of the exclusions in phone call 1 were due to clinical illness (14.8%; n=25), cerebrovascular disease (5.9%; n=10), and off-target education (4.7%; n=8). The majority (62.7%; n=106/169) went to phone call 2 and, at the moment, 78 individuals were assessed. Of these, most were excluded because presented a TICS-M score below cut-off (44.9%; n=35/78) and absence of consistent cognitive complaints (23%; n=18/78). Conclusion: Most individuals recruited by electronic and written media were women with a high educational level. The main causes of exclusion were cognitive decline and the absence of consistent cognitive complaints. This assessment reveals the difficulty in recruiting SCD individuals through media and indicates the need for alternative recruitment methods.

Palavras Chave

recruitment; media; subjective cognitive decline; elderly