A community-level demonstration project to promote brain health among African American Baby Boomers

As the U.S. population ages, cognitive decline becomes a public health concern because the risk for cognitive decline increases as people age. Evidence now supports the link between vascular and dietary risk factors and increased risk for cognitive impairment. Studies indicate that African Americans are at greater risk for vascular conditions and bear a disproportionate burden of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, which have been linked to cognitive impairment/dementia/Alzheimer's disease.

This study evaluates the Healthy Brain Initiative Demonstration Project (HBI), the nation's first community-level, culturally-relevant demonstration project designed to increase knowledge and awareness of brain health, increase intentions to engage in physical activity, and promote prevention and management of vascular risks among African Americans born from 1946 through 1964.

The evaluation used a quasi-experimental, mixed-method design involving collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from many sources before, during, and after implementation of the HBI in two sites – Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles, California. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess fidelity to the HBI's core components during implementation, strategic partnership outcomes, and outcomes of the half-day Healthy Brain Champion Workshop.

Results show that all four core elements of the HBI (i.e., strategic partnerships, healthy brain champions, community events, and media activities) were implemented in the demonstration sites. The findings also indicate that the HBI increased knowledge/awareness of brain health and increased intentions to engage in health protective behaviors to maintain overall health and, potentially, brain health among African American baby boomers.