TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Methodological issues in the observational studies conducted in older population: a narrative review
JO  - Epidemiology, biostatistics and public health
A1  - Poscia, Andrea
A1  - Collamati, Agnese
A1  - Milovanovic, Sonja
A1  - Vetrano, Davide Liborio
A1  - Liotta, Giuseppe
A1  - Petitti, Tommasangelo
A1  - Pietro, Maria Luisa Di
A1  - Magnavita, Nicola
A1  - Ricciardi, Walter
A1  - Cherubini, Antonio
A1  - Onder, Graziano
SP  - e12627
EP  - e12627
VL  - 14
IS  - 2
N2  - IntroductionWell-conducted observational studies may represent valuable tools for getting insight to disease etiology, detecting the effect of age-related changes, and providing an important perspective on health risk factors and disabilities in an aging population. Nevertheless, this kind of research poses several challenges for researchers. The main aim of this narrative review was to address the potential methodological issues in performing the observational studies in the elderly, the factors that influence their participation, and the possible solutions for overcoming the barriers to research in this population.<br><br>METHODSComprehensive search for the papers published in the period from January 1st 1980 until 31st July 2016 in English or Italian was conducted through MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science electronic databases. <br><br>FINDINGS from the included papers were finally summarized.<br><br>RESULTSIn cohort studies, the following barriers were addressed: sample size calculation, ascertainment of the target population, frequency of data collection, exposure determination, multifactorial loss to follow-up (drop-outs), cognitive impairment, definition of confounders, and ethical aspects. Case-control studies were reported to be prone to the issues like ascertainment of cases and controls, willingness to participate, data accuracy, recall bias, issues related to patients' multimorbidity, and cognitive impairment.<br><br>CONCLUSIONSImportant factors to consider in research in elderly people include: precise definition of the study population, well conducted recruitment process, engagement with family and home care staff, cognitive impairment assessment and the consequent relevant ethical and legal issues, relief of participant burden in order to minimize withdrawal, and engagement with the media.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2282-2305
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.2427/12627
ID  - ref1
ER  -