Feasibility of Monitoring Health and Well-being in Emerging Adults: Pilot Longitudinal Cohort Study

Reidar P Lystad; Diana Fajardo Pulido; Lorna Peters; Melissa Johnstone; Louise A Ellis; Jeffrey Braithwaite; Viviana Wuthrich; Janaki Amin; Cate M Cameron; Rebecca J Mitchell

doi:10.2196/30027

Feasibility of Monitoring Health and Well-being in Emerging Adults: Pilot Longitudinal Cohort Study

JMIR Form Res. 2022 Jan 6;6(1):e30027. doi: 10.2196/30027.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
² Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
³ Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
⁴ Department of Health Systems and Populations, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Jamieson Trauma Institute, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia.
⁶ Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

PMID: 34989696
PMCID: PMC8778543
DOI: 10.2196/30027

Abstract

Background: Emerging adulthood is a distinct segment of an individual's life course. The defining features of this transitional period include identity exploration, instability, future possibilities, self-focus, and feeling in-between, all of which are thought to affect quality of life, health, and well-being. A longitudinal cohort study with a comprehensive set of measures would be a valuable resource for improving the understanding of the multifaceted elements and unique challenges that contribute to the health and well-being of emerging adults.

Objective: The main aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting university graduates to establish a longitudinal cohort study to inform the understanding of emerging adulthood.

Methods: This pilot study was conducted among graduates at a large university. It involved collecting web-based survey data at baseline (ie, graduation) and 12 months post baseline, and linking survey responses to health records from administrative data collections. The feasibility outcome measures of interest included the recruitment rate, response rate, retention rate, data linkage opt-out rate, and availability of linked health records. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the representativeness of the sample, completeness of the survey responses, and data linkage characteristics.

Results: Only 2.8% of invited graduates (238/8532) agreed to participate in this pilot cohort study, of whom 59.7% (142/238) responded to the baseline survey. The retention rate between the baseline and follow-up surveys was 69.7% (99/142). The completeness of the surveys was excellent, with the proportion of answered questions in each survey domain ranging from 87.3% to 100% in both the baseline and follow-up surveys. The data linkage opt-out rate was 32.4% (77/238).

Conclusions: The overall recruitment rate was poor, while the completeness of survey responses among respondents ranged from good to excellent. There was reasonable acceptability for conducting data linkage of health records from administrative data collections and survey responses. This pilot study offers insights and recommendations for future research aiming to establish a longitudinal cohort study to investigate health and well-being in emerging adults.

Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number ACTRN12618001364268; https://tinyurl.com/teec8wh.

International registered report identifier (irrid): RR2-10.2196/16108.

Keywords: acceptability; cohort; emerging adulthood; feasibility; health; health-related quality of life; longitudinal; monitoring; pilot study; quality of life; survey; well-being; young adult; youth.

©Reidar P Lystad, Diana Fajardo Pulido, Lorna Peters, Melissa Johnstone, Louise A Ellis, Jeffrey Braithwaite, Viviana Wuthrich, Janaki Amin, Cate M Cameron, Rebecca J Mitchell. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 06.01.2022.