METHODS FOR SUCCESSFUL FOLLOW-UP OF ELUSIVE URBAN POPULATIONS - AN ETHNOGRAPHIC APPROACH WITH HOMELESS MEN

Public health is paying increasing attention to elusive urban populati ons such as the homeless, street drug users, and illegal immigrants. Y et, valid data on the health of these populations remain scarce; longi tudinal research, in particular, has been hampered by poor follow-up r ates. This paper reports on the follow-up methods used in two randomiz ed clinical trials among one such population, namely, homeless men wit h mental illness. Each of the two trials achieved virtually complete f ollow-up over 18 months. The authors describe the ethnographic approac h to follow-up: training interviewers, tracking participants, administ ering the research office, and conducting assessments. The ethnographi c follow-up method is adaptable to other studies and other settings, a nd may provide a replicable model for achieving high follow-up rates i n urban epidemiologic studies.