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Despite Telemedicine being considered by most patients as the preferred follow-up method, bariatric surgery programs that include virtual consults still exhibit high attrition rates. This study analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of telemedicine in a single-center bariatric surgery program. We developed a 5-minute, 10-question online survey via Qualtrics and examined the results between 108 patients under telehealth visits by the bariatric team at the University of Illinois at Chicago from August to November 2022. Most patients reported telehealth utilization was easy (91%). Virtual visits were chosen as the preferred method for follow-up (88%), while avoidance of having to take time off work/school was mentioned as the leading reason. However, a small fraction (6%) considered that connecting with the bariatric team took some time/effort. Telemedicine is a fundamental tool to overcome several barriers that hinder access to obesity treatment among patients. Understanding its weaknesses will increase compliance with bariatric surgery programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigators in the Chicago Healthy Aging Study (CHAS) reexamined 1,395 surviving participants aged 65–84 years (28% women) from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry (CHA) 1967–1973 cohort whose cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles were originally ascertained at ages 25–44 years. CHAS investigators reexamined 421 participants who were low-risk (LR) at baseline and 974 participants who were non-LR at baseline. LR was defined as having favorable levels of 4 major CVD risk factors: serum total cholesterol level <200 mg/dL and no use of cholesterol-lowering medication; blood pressure 120/≤80 mm Hg and no use of antihypertensive medication; no current smoking; and no history of diabetes or heart attack. While the potential of LR status in overcoming the CVD epidemic is being recognized, the long-term association of LR with objectively measured health in older age has not been examined. It is hypothesized that persons who were LR in 1967–1973 and have survived to older age will have less clinical and subclinical CVD, lower levels of inflammatory markers, and better physical performance/functioning and sleep quality. Here we describe the rationale, objectives, design, and implementation of this longitudinal epidemiologic study, compare baseline and follow-up characteristics of participants and nonparticipants, and highlight the feasibility of reexamining study participants after an extended period postbaseline with minimal interim contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on response rates to surveys mailed to study participants decades after baseline examination, with minimal interim contact, is limited. This paper documents response rates to a 26-year follow-up survey of surviving participants from a large cohort in Illinois and compares baseline characteristics of nonrespondents and respondents. Mortality follow-up of the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry 1967-1973 cohort involved minimal or no participant contact since baseline. In 1996, a 26-year follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all surviving participants aged 65 years or older. Current addresses were obtained from the Health Care Financing Administration for 96.5 percent of 12,409 participants in our analyses. Total response rates were 59.8 percent and, for participants for whom Health Care Financing Administration addresses were available, 60.8 percent. A higher response rate was obtained for younger recipients, men, Whites, more-educated persons, nonsmokers, and those with a better cardiovascular risk profile at baseline. A graded negative relation was found between number of cardiovascular risk factors at baseline and response rates obtained in 1996. Use of Health Care Financing Administration records as an additional follow-up method and factors that influence response rates are discussed. In conclusion, long-term follow-up of older surviving participants is feasible if current addresses can be obtained from standardized sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]