MyCOACH (COnnected Advice for Cognitive Health) - Evaluation of an e-learning and active lifestyle program for cognitive decline and risk of dementia in adults with mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline.

This project has two arms, the ‘MyCoach online intervention’ and an active control. The sample will be adults aged 65 years and older, with subjective cognitive decline or mild cognitive impairment. Participants allocated to the MyCoach intervention group will be required to complete an online dementia risk reduction education program and they will be offered a 3-month subscription to computerised brain training, as well as consultations with a dietician and an exercise physiologist. E-learning: The e-learning will consist of 6 online chapters, approximately 30-40 minutes each (topics include 1. General Information, 2. Physical Activities, 3. Diet, 4. Memory Strategies, 5. Social and Cognitive Engagement and 6. Stress). Each chapter will contain background information, interactive activities, reflections and goal setting to assist with behaviour change. Participants will receive the above chapters on weeks 1,2,4,6,8 and 10. Each chapter will be accessible until week 12. Consultations: The dietician and exercise physiologist will conduct telehealth consults with each participant to create individualised diet and exercise goals. The consultants will base recommendations on the MIND diet and Australian physical activity guidelines. They will adapt advice around comorbidities, resources and preferences, thus enabling safe and effective implementation in this population. The first physical activity consultation (45 mins) and the first diet consultation (45 mins) will take place after the corresponding chapters (physical activity + diet) are made available to the participant. Each participant will then receive a follow-up consultation for physical activity (30 mins) and diet (30 mins) 4 weeks after the first consultation. The aim of this is to review and support participants progress in their goals. Computerised brain training (Posit Science – BrainHQ): Each participant will be provided with a 12-week subscription to BrainHQ during week 1 of the intervention. Each participant will be asked to complete two executive function tasks (Double Decision & Divided Attention) and two memory tasks (Memory Grid & Syllable Stacks) per week, totaling 2 hours. Booster session: The booster session will take the form of one 30–45-minute phone call with a study researcher 3-months after the intervention period. The booster session will be guided by a standardised template drawing on motivational interviewing principles to discuss goal progression and support behaviour change. It will also include a recap on session materials. Adherence to the e-learning component of the intervention will be monitored through website statistics (e.g., time spent on chapter and the number completed), we will also record if participants choose not to attend the consultations or access the brain training. To encourage adherence, we will send participants a reminder email if they have not completed a chapter (up to 3 reminders). However, unlocking the next chapter will not be dependent on completion on the previous. As a form of process evaluation, within the chapters there will be questions relating to participant’s familiarity of the topic, willingness to change behaviour and perceptions of health. Through the chapters and booster session, we will also collect information on goals set by participants and general feedback.