Cognitive Change
Conditions
Brief summary
SHARP is a neighborhood-based and technology-supported approach to brain health for older Black adults that integrates walking and image-prompted social reminiscence to maintain or improve brain health.
Detailed description
The SHARP study tests the feasibility, usability, and cultural relevance of an android application-supported walking study for brain health among older Black adults. The SHARP walking application enables the seamless integration of the brain-healthy behaviors of walking, social engagement, and reminiscence. Methods: Over the course of 24 weeks in the rapidly gentrifying historically Black neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon, triads aim to complete three 1-mile walks per week. The SHARP application is preprogrammed with 72 themed, 1-mile routes, accessible via a group tablet device. At three points along each route, GPS-triggered Memory Markers (historical images of local Black culture) appear on the walking application, serving as prompts for conversational reminiscence as triads walk. Walking reminiscence sessions are recorded for inclusion into a digital oral history archive.
Interventions
Behavioral intervention to increase physical and social activity. In triads, participants walk 1-mile neighborhood routes three times per week and engage in image-based conversational reminiscence.
Sponsors
Oregon Health and Science University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention model description
21 individuals without cognitive impairment engage in the study intervention over 24 weeks
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
55 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Self-identified African American * \> 55 years old * A long-time resident (\>10 cumulative years) of Portland's historically black neighborhoods (currently or in within the last 10 years) * Without symptoms of and without a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (they must be preclinical subjects), * Without serious cognitive impairment and must score \> 24 on the age-education adjusted Mini-Mental State Exam * Has internet access in the home. * Able to ambulate independently, without walking aids * Able to sustain walking at a moderate pace for 45 minutes.
Exclusion criteria
* Serious or unstable medical condition (such as, but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, or severe arthritis) where participation in the trial would, in the opinion of the investigator, pose a significant health risk to the subject. * Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, or other dementing illness.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility | 24 weeks | Program readiness scale - how close is the program to being ready to deploy to other older Black Americans? |
Outcome results
None listed