RECRUITMENT OF SOMMA PARTICIPANTS: TECHNIQUES TO ENROLL OLDER ADULTS IN A COMPLEX STUDY

We screened approximately 4200 individuals to enroll 881 including 41% men and 59% women with a mean age =73.4 ± 5SD years; 13% were Black, 85% White and 2% of other race and ethnic groups. We will add 80 individuals aged 30-69 years. Exclusions included unstable medical conditions and inability to walk 400 meters(m). The median baseline 400m gait speed at usual pace was 1.05 ± 0.18SD m/s. Techniques to recruit and enroll a diverse population for this complex project included the use of in-person and video-conference information sessions to explain the complicated study to interested adults and to screen potential participants as needed The COVID pandemic created numerous challenges; while SOMMA was able to meet its recruitment goals, the enrollment period lasted 33 months (instead of the originally planned 18 months). Attendance at follow-up in-person and phone-based assessments is excellent.