Integrating and extending cohort studies: lessons from the eXtending Treatments Education and Networks in Depression (xTEND) study

摘要

BackgroundEpidemiologic studies often struggle to adequately represent populations and outcomes of interest. Differences in methodology, data analysis and research questions often mean that reviews and synthesis of the existing literature have significant limitations. The current paper details our experiences in combining individual participant data from two existing cohort studies to address questions about the influence of social factors on health outcomes within a representative sample of urban to remote areas of Australia. The eXtending Treatments, Education and Networks in Depression study involved pooling individual participant data from the Australian Rural Mental Health Study (T0 N = 2639) and the Hunter Community Study (T0 N = 3253) as well as conducting a common three-year follow-up phase (T1 N = 3513). Pooling these data extended the capacity of these studies by: enabling research questions of common interest to be addressed; facilitating the harmonization of baseline measures; permitting investigation of a range of psychosocial, physical and contextual factors over time; and contributing to the development and implementation of targeted interventions for persons experiencing depression and alcohol issues.