Testing the ‘Faith Moves Mountains model’ to increase Alzheimer’s disease awareness, detection, and diagnosis among rural, racially, and ethnically diverse older adults
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Objectives Racially and ethnically diverse populations have recently contributed to the majority of rural and small-town growth. Consequently, the disproportionately high risk and prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) among rural and minoritized older residents will likely increase. To address this threat, we tested the hypotheses that (1) a faith-based, resident-led approach would increase basic ADRD knowledge and diagnosis, and (2) older age, female gender, lower educational levels, and more years lived rural would predict number of referrals, new dementia diagnoses, and treatment.Methods An adaptation of Schoenberg’s Faith Moves Mountains model, previously successful in detection and management of other chronic illnesses in rural settings, guided this community-based participatory research. Local faith community members were trained as research assistants to recruit, administer surveys, conduct brief memory assessments, teach brain health strategies, and follow-up with residents. Outreaches were offered virtually during the pandemic, then in-person monthly at rotating church sites, and repeated ∼1 year later.Results This rural sample was racially and ethnically diverse (74.5% non-White), with 28% reporting eight or less years of formal education. Findings included that referrals and years lived rural were significant and positive predictors of new ADRD treatments [(b = 3.74, χ2(1, n = 235) = 13.01, p < 0.001); (b = 0.02, χ2(1, n = 235 = 3.93, p = 0.048)], respectively, regardless of participant characteristics.Conclusion Resident-led action research in rural, diverse, faith communities is a successful approach to increasing ADRD disease knowledge, detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
Source: Aging & Mental Health
Authors: Lisa Kirk Wiese, Ishan C. Williams, Janet K. Holt, Christine L. Williams, Jennifer Lingler, James E. Galvin, Nancy E. Schoenberg
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Awards: G135173010, G1780759643, G1794463523, G2135452110, Detecting Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias in Rural Underserved Communities through Community Based Participatory Research, G2492134680, G2619705386, G262560788, G2742075923, G297448642, G3156972908, Appalachian STAR Trial, G384347443, G3941537935, Bridge2AI: Patient-Focused Collaborative Hospital Repository Uniting Standards (CHoRUS) for Equitable AI, G5138958876, G5299627754, G5300636970, A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Phase 2 Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of CT1812 in Subjects with Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Communities Helping the Hearing of Infants by Reaching Parents: The CHHIRP Navigator Trial, Native Alzheimer Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (NAD-RCMAR), Deep Phenotypic Characterization of Prodromal Dementia with Lewy Bodies, G7907204993, G812326613, G85479033, G8590577921, G8931917679, Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences, G9000006222, G9000037319, G9000067491, G9000071639, G9000103207, G9000181125, G9000220814, G9000231865, G9000309849, Addressing cancer challenges through impactful training, The effects of Alzheimer's disease risk genes on metabolism and signaling across cell types, REsearching Sleep Time in Kentucky Communities (REST-KY), Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
OpenAlex ID: W4390048403