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Subgroups of refusers in a disability prevention trial in older adults: baseline and follow-up analysis
Christoph E Minder1, Tobias Müller, Gerhard Gillmann
1Division of Biostatistics, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland.
Objectives:
This study explored differences between refusers and participants in a longitudinal study with extensive baseline and follow-up information.
Methods:
Results of a trial comparing 791 participants and 401 community-residing older adults who refused to participate in a study concerning preventive home visits were examined. Information was collected from interviews, insurance records, and government files.
Results:
Despite similarities in terms of age, sex, and self-perceived health at baseline, 3-year follow-up data indicated that refusers had a 1.58-fold higher risk of entering a nursing home than participants. There were additional differences between refusers and participants when refusers were categorized in 4 subgroups based on self-reported reason for refusal (too ill, too healthy, no interest, and other reasons).
Conclusions:
Future studies should include follow-up data to allow comparisons between refusers and participants and should address the presence of multiple subgroups of refusers.