title: Maintaining Superior Follow-Up Rates in a Longitudinal Study: Experiences from the College Life Study.
abstract: Longitudinal studies are often considered to be a gold standard for research, but the operational management of such studies is not often discussed in detail; this paper describes strategies used to track and maintain high levels of participation in a longitudinal study involving annual personal interviews with a cohort of 1,253 undergraduates (first-time, first-year students at time of enrollment) at a large public mid-Atlantic university.
authors.affiliation: Center on Young Adult Health and Development (CYAHD), University of Maryland School of Public Health, 8400 Baltimore Ave, Suite 100, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kasperski
authors.forename: Kimberly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Caldeira
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Garnier-Dykstra
authors.forename: Gillian M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Pinchevsky
authors.forename: Kevin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: O'Grady
authors.forename: Amelia M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Arria