JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Innovative approaches to community-level data collection are crucial to inform policies and programs that support people to age well within their communities.

Objective:

This paper presents a sub-study of a larger community-based project designed to identify community-dwelling older adults’ concerns about their well-being and connect them with resources to help them age well at home. The sub-study aimed to identify motivations that influenced older adults’ engagement in research and barriers to their participation.

Methods:

Data collection involved qualitative semi-structured interviews with 27 older adults (65 or older) who had completed a comprehensive assessment. Older adult participants were primarily female, of European and/or Acadian descent, university-educated, and had two or more chronic health conditions. Data were also collected from minutes recorded from 35 meetings focused on project logistics and participant recruitment. Thematic analysis was completed using both inductive and deductive approaches.

Results:

Older adults reported two main reasons for participating: Planning for the Future and Helping their Community. At the same time, barriers to participation identified included Communication Challenges, Fear of Scams, and Institutional Scepticism.

Conclusions:

This research highlighted the need to tailor communication strategies to older adults by understanding factors influencing engagement. Addressing institutional skepticism and leveraging trusted community members are possible strategies to overcome barriers to successful engagement in community-based research. These findings advance our understanding of why older adults participate in research and suggest ways to improve recruitment strategies.