Effective recruitment and retention of older adults in physical activity research: PALS study.

OBJECTIVES To develop strategies to recruit and retain inactive older adults into a physical activity program. METHODS Names of 7378 older adults were obtained from 60 neighborhoods. Then, 6401 potential subjects were matched to telephone numbers and phoned. Subjects meeting the screening criteria were invited to join the program (n = 4209). Walk leaders and social support were used to enhance retention. RESULTS Five hundred seventy-three subjects were recruited (260 intervention and 313 control). The respective participation rate was 12.6% (260/2056) and 14.5% (313/2153), with low attrition of 31.9% (83/260) and 24.6% (77/313). CONCLUSION Effective recruitment and retention strategies were identified.