Methods and demographic findings of the baseline survey of the NEDICES cohort: a door-to-door survey of neurological disorders in three communities from Central Spain.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the methods and general results of the baseline longitudinal survey in a defined cohort of elderly people from three areas of Central Spain (urban and rural). The survey was designed to study dementia, essential tremor, Parkinson's disease and stroke.

STUDY DESIGN

A population-based longitudinal study with door-to-door interviews.

METHODS

This study was carried out in two phases: Phase 1 (health status questionnaire and screening performed by lay interviewers) and Phase 2 (diagnosis of neurological illnesses by neurologists).

RESULTS

The study flow chart, screening instruments for neurological disorders, main demographic data (age, sex, educational attainment, occupation) and general health status of the 5,278 screened participants (2,238 men and 3,040 women) are given for the two phases. The response rate was 85.3%, and participation was higher in men and in the urban area.

CONCLUSIONS

Participation rates were good in both phases of the NEDICES baseline study, and this was influenced by age, sex and setting of the participants. Educational attainment, occupation and health status data are analogous to other Spanish studies performed in the elderly. As the study population was large and good participation rates were achieved, precise analysis of morbidity of the neurological disorders investigated will be possible.