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Table 1 General study characteristics. Studies are listed alphabetically

From: Barriers and facilitators for recruiting and retaining male participants into longitudinal health research: a systematic review

Author / Year

Study Name (if identified)

City (or State/ Province/ Region), Country

Study Aim/s

Study Design

Clinical field

Type of data collected

Amin et al. 2023 [38]

Substudy of PREVENT-ADPKD

Sydney, Wollongong, New Lambton Heights, Gosford, Perth, Australia

To determine the experiences of participants in a long-term trial

Identify factors influencing reasons to enrol, remain, and adhere to trial procedures

Develop preliminary recommendations for improving future clinical trials

Randomized control trial

Kidney Disease

Factors hypothesized to influence participant recruitment and retention (ranked the utility and difficulty of individual components), overall global satisfaction score, Qualitative: Semi structured Interview (explored expectations and motivations before enrolling, adequacy of informed consent, overall experience, perceived adherence, interactions with study staff and recommendations for future trial design

Cheraghi et al. 2021 [39]

Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) [59]

Tehran,

Iran

Clarify factors associated with non-participation in the TGLS cohort

Identify sub-groups who are likely to refuse participation and improve retention strategies for these groups

Longitudinal cohort study

Diabetes and non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

Protocol [59] and this paper include data on prevalence of NCDs, risk factors for NCDs, intervention data for intervention undertaken by specific target groups of cohort including schoolchildren, women, high-risk groups. Interventions focused on lifestyle modifications; diet, smoking and physical activity

Crichton et al. 2012 [57]

-

Adelaide, Australia

Evaluate the recruitment process, retention of participants and challenges faced in a dairy intervention trial

Provide strategies to combat the difficulties of running long-term dietary intervention trials

Randomised controlled dietary intervention

Obesity

Height, weight, blood pressure, health and dietary questionnaires, anthropometry, and blood samples taken at each visit (cardiometabolic and biochemical assessment), arterial compliance, cognitive assessment and mental health assessment

Goldberg et al. 2006 [42]

GAZ and ELectricité (GAZEL) Cohort Study

Saint- Maurice, France

Determine the socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health factors associated with response to annual mail questionnaires

Longitudinal cohort study

-

Questionnaires on health status, lifestyle, socio-economic and occupational factors

Gourash et al. 2022 [48]

The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS)

New York, Greenville, Fargo, Portland, Pittsburgh, Seattle, The United States of America

Determine short-term and long-term safety of bariatric surgery

Evaluate psychosocial, quality of life, health economics of obesity, co-morbidities and bariatric surgery

Prospective cohort study

Obesity

Blood draw, urine sample, physical measures: anthropometrics, blood pressure, corridor walk, activity monitor and diary, sociodemographic, psychologic, behavioural data

Griffith Fillipo et al. 2022 [49]

-

Throughout the United States of America

Determine the optimal incentive strategy for study retention

Remote and sequential multiple assignment randomized trial

Psychology

Demographics, Major Depressive episode Screener, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9), The Social Life and Family Life Scales of the Sheehan Disability Scale, 7-item Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7) the NIAAA Alcohol Screening Test, IMPACT assessment of main and psychosis, exit survey

Green et al. 2018 [40]

Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) study [60]

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Determine the factors that affect response in epidemiological studies

Contemporary cross-sectional population-based cohort study

Epidemiology and Aging

The included study and its accompanying protocol paper [60] collect interview data related to recruitment and inclusion criteria, core cognitive neuroscience (MRI, MEG, cognitive testing), blood pressure, salivary sample and 3 fMRI

Hamberger et al. 2000 [50]

-

Wisconsin, United States of America

Identify reasons for participant dropout from a spouse abuse abatement program

Cohort study

Psychology

Race, education, age, marital status, employment status, alcohol abuse, referral status, police violence contact, drug activity, acting out, history of child abuse, witnessing violence, violence duration, violence level report

Irvine et al. 2017 [41]

-

Dundee, United Kingdom

Assess feasibility of trial for reduction of alcohol consumption in obese men

Community-based Intervention

Obesity

Alcohol consumption measures and body mass index

Janus et al. 1997 [51]

-

Toronto, Canada

Determine factors influencing family participation in a longitudinal study

Longitudinal birth cohort study

Cystic fibrosis, Congenital heart disease

Severity of chronic illness, diary completed by parents, developmental level, child temperament, family environment, Mother–Child relationship

Kannisto et al. 2017 [44]

Mobile.Net

Turku, Finland

Determine the dropout predictors from a mHealth-based trial and evaluate the effects of tailored short message service (SMS) text message constructed to encourage patient adherence

mHealth-Based Randomized Controlled Trial

Psychology

Participant’s quality of life (Q-LES-Q) and satisfaction with the treatment (CSQ-8)

Kelfve et al. 2017 [45]

Swedish level-of-living survey (LNU)/ The Swedish panel study of living conditions of the oldest old (SWEOLD)

Stockholm, Sweden

Determine how selective survey participation affects the sample composition, in addition to selective mortality of participants

Longitudinal cohort survey study

Aging

Both LNU and SWEOLD primarily use face-to-face interviews to gather data. The questionnaires used cover a broad range of topics, such as living conditions, family situation, health, health behaviours, and financial resources

Lee et al. 2009 [61]

The European Male Ageing Study (EMAS)

European cities: Florence (Italy), Leuven (Belgium), Lodz (Poland), Malmo ̈ (Sweden), Manchester (United Kingdom), Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Szeged (Hungary) and Tartu (Estonia)

Examine aspects of aging in men

Prospective cohort study

Aging

Questionnaire: assess quality of life, depressive symptoms, Adverse Life Events Scale, Physical Activity Scale, International Prostate Symptom Score, previous surgical procedures, sexual function questionnaire. Screening: Physical and cognitive performance, Anthropometry, Calcaneal ultrasound, Food diary, blood samples

Limmroth et al. 2023 [47]

PROmyBETAappGame

Multiple Locations, Germanya

Investigate medication-taking behaviour in patients with multiple sclerosis receiving interferon β-1b for 1 year and to provide additional information on patient reported outcomes. To test the feasibility of gamification (using cognitive training tool PEAK) to incentivise patients to remain committee to the study

Prospective and retrospective, noninterventional observational cohort study

Multiple sclerosis

Demographic data: age gender, injection-related data: date/time of injection, injection speed and injection depth (collected from the app or manually recorded), self-reported measures: health-related quality of life, EuroQol-5-Dimension 5-Level questionnaire, Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire of Medication, questionnaire on satisfaction with the BETAPLUS, BETACONNECT and the app via a service questionnaire

Markanday et al. 2013 [58]

Geelong Osteoporosis Study

Geelong, Australia

Investigate sex-differences in non-participation at baseline of the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS)

Prospective cohort study

Osteoporosis

Reasons for not participating

Méjean et al. 2014 [43]

NutriNet-Santé Study

Paris, France

Evaluate relationships between participation motives and sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle characteristics of participants in cohort designed to identify nutritional risk or protective factors for chronic diseases

Web-based, Prospective cohort study

Nutrition

Questionnaires assessing dietary intake, physical activity, anthropometrics, lifestyle, and socioeconomic conditions along with health status

Oleske et al. 2007 [52]

-

3 Midwestern statesb, United States of America

Determine influence of demographics, health, and job factors in continued participation of employed persons in a longitudinal intervention study for work-related low-back disorders

Randomized clinical trial

Work-related low-back disorders

Self-reported measures: Back pain frequency and how bothered participants were by pain, back pain disability, physical health, mental health, neurogenic symptoms, psychological job strain / Measures: height, weight, body fat percentage, waist and hip circumference, body mass index

Olmos-Ochoa et al. 2019 [53]

-

Los Angeles, United States of America

Identify barriers to study participation and retention, in two modes of intervention for serious mental illness

Cohort study

Psychology

Barriers to physical activity and healthy eating

Pogue et al. 2022 [54]

-

North and Central Texas, United States of America

To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health

Longitudinal study

Psychology

Depression (PHQ-8), posttraumatic stress symptoms (Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale-5), anxiety (GAD-7), resilience (10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), coping strategies (brief COPE), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), personality (10-item Personality Inventory), COVID stigma, vaccine hesitancy, COVID-19 impact (COVID Impact Scale), COVID fear (COVID Fear Scale), workplace demographics

Rose et al. 1976 [36]

Normative Aging Study of the Veterans Administration

Boston, United States of America

Determine the non-pathological aspects of aging

Longitudinal health cohort

Aging

Age, social class, geographic stability and health

Schilling et al. 2023 [37]

Data4Life Consortium

Pensieve Health (Mumbai), Hande Hospital (Panvel, Navi, Mumbai), ACUMDX Laboratory and Research Center (Ghatkopar, Mumbai, Kota, Jodhpur in Rajasthan) and Sun Diagnostics (Ghatkopar, Mumbai), India

Investigate (via digital recruitment and data collection methods) the long-term effects of COVID-19 in India

Observational, longitudinal study

Infectious disease

Demographics, participant feedback, medical and COVID-19 history, physical measurements, social connections, isolation risks, depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), activity levels (IPAQ-SF), asleep patterns (PSQI), alcohol, tobacco, dietary habits

Snow et al. 2007 [55]

The Lung Health Study (LHS)

Minneapolis, United States of America and Winnipeg, Canada

Examine the impact of smoking cessation coupled with the use of an inhaled bronchodilator on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Randomized, controlled clinical trial

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Demographic variables, alcohol intake, body mass index (BMI), smoking-related variables, past and present illness, lung function, and social support variables

Ullmanet al. 1998 [56]

Newcomb [62]

Los Angeles, United States of America

Develop models that differentiate eager, reluctant, and nonresponding participants using participants’ demographics, personality, and drug use characteristics

Longitudinal cohort study

Psychosocial health and Substance use

The included paper and its accompanying protocol [62] collect data on use of monetised incentives for longitudinal recruitment, participant demographics, drug and alcohol intake, personality and attitudinal traits, including support of science/medicine and social conformity

vanWees et al. 2019 [46]

Mathematical models incorporating Psychological determinants: control of Chlamydia Transmission (iMPaCT)

Amsterdam, Hollands Noorden, Kennemerland, and Twente, the Netherlands

Identify predictors of non-response and loss to follow-up in longitudinal sexual health study

Longitudinal cohort study

Chlamydia Transmission, Sexually transmitted infections (STI)

Data on sexual behaviour, psychological determinants and chlamydia infections. Participants were tested for chlamydia using nucleic acid amplification tests at enrolment at the STI clinic and through a self-sampling kit sent to a laboratory at six-month follow-up

  1. aClinicalTrials.gov NCT03808142 lists multiple locations in Germany, however locations with principal investigators are not listed
  2. bMidwestern states are not detailed