Journal Article

I'd Do Anything for Research, But I Won't Do That: Interest in Pharmacological Interventions in Older Adults Enrolled in a Longitudinal Aging Study

Keller, Jeffrey N., Calamia, Matthew, Bernstein, John P. K.

2016

Overview

Alzheimer's disease (AD) ranks as the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, yet unlike other diseases in this category, there are no disease-modifying medications for AD. Currently there is significant interest in exploring the benefits of pharmacological treatment before the onset of dementia (e.g., in those with mild cognitive impairment); however, recruitment for such studies is challenging. The current study examined interest in pharmacological intervention trials relative to other types of clinical interventions. A total of 67 non-demented older adults enrolled in a longitudinal cognitive aging study completed a questionnaire assessing interest in participating in a variety of hypothetical research study designs. Consistent with past research, results showed that the opportunities for participants to advance science, receive feedback about their current health, and help themselves or others, were associated with increased interest in clinical trial participation. Some factors were not associated with change in interest (e.g., a doctor not recommending participation) while others were associated with decreased interest (e.g., having to come in for multiple visits each week). Relative to other types of interventions, pharmacological intervention trials were associated with the least interest in participation, despite pharmacological interventions being rated as more likely to result in AD treatment. Decreased interest was not predicted by subjective memory concerns, number of current medications, cardiovascular risk, or beliefs about the likely success of pharmacological treatments. These results highlight the challenges faced by researchers investigating pharmacological treatments in non-demented older individuals, and suggest future research could contribute to more effective ways of recruiting participants in AD-related clinical trials.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adults / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Aging / Aging - pathology / Aging - psychology / Alzheimer Disease - drug therapy / Alzheimer Disease - psychology / Alzheimer's disease / Alzheimers disease / Attitudes / Biological markers / Biology and Life Sciences / Biomedical Research / Cardiovascular diseases / Care and treatment / Caregivers / Clinical trials / Clinical Trials as Topic / Cognition & reasoning / Cognitive ability / Cognitive Dysfunction - drug therapy / Cognitive Dysfunction - psychology / Dementia / Dementia disorders / Diagnosis / Disease prevention / Drug therapy / Enrollments / Female / Health risks / Humans / Intervention / Longitudinal Studies / Male / Medical research / Medicine and Health Sciences / Memory / Middle Aged / Mild cognitive impairment / Neurodegenerative diseases / Neuropsychology / Older people / Participation / People and Places / Pharmacology / Recruitment / Research and Analysis Methods / Risk Factors / Studies / Success / Surveys and Questionnaires / United States