Cognitive Enhancement and Risk-reduction Through Exercise for Brain-Related Outcomes

Summary

As the population ages, it is also growing more diverse. Twelve percent of older Latinos are currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it is estimated that the number of Latinos with AD will increase by 832% by 2060. Pharmacological treatments available for cognitive decline/ADRD have shown limited effectiveness in reducing cognitive and functional decline. Evidence suggests that protective factors for AD include regular physical activity (PA). Unfortunately, older Latinos are 46% less likely to engage in leisure time PA than older non-Latino whites. The investigators propose that indoor PA programs can overcome the biggest barriers to participation. Marquez and colleagues created a Spanish-language, Latin dance program (BAILAMOS™ - Balance and Activity In Latinos, Addressing Mobility in Older Adults). Smaller studies of BAILAMOS™ have found greater improvement in global cognition in the dance group compared to a health education group, and increases in brain functional connectivity. UIC faculty have also designed and tested Fit \& Strong!, a PA program for older adults with arthritis, that is recognized by the National Council on Aging as an Evidence-based program and have established the feasibility of ¡En Forma y Fuerte!, an adaptation of Fit \& Strong! for Latinos with arthritis. A small trial found significant improvements in lower-extremity strength, perceived physical function, and pain from baseline to 8 weeks (p \< .05) that were maintained at 6 months. No major program adaptations (other than language) were observed or reported; however, the instructors provided several suggestions for program improvements, including adjusting the literacy level and length of the program. The current pandemic allows the investigators to adapt both of these evidence informed programs, the BAILAMOS™ dance program and ¡En Forma y Fuerte!, for remote delivery among older Latinos (i.e., BAILAMOS™ @home/en casa and ¡En Forma y Fuerte! @home/en casa). The overall purpose is to implement promising, evidence-informed interventions and solutions to reduce risk for ADRD and improve quality of life for persons with symptoms of cognitive decline.

Conditions

• Aging

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

BAILAMOS™ @home/en casa

The BAILAMOS™ dance program and dance manual. BAILAMOS™ originally encompassed four dance styles: Merengue, Cha Cha Cha, Bachata, and Salsa. These four styles of Latin dance are generally considered the most popular in terms of recognition and preference. We have added two styles to appeal to the largely Mexican-origin Latinos in Chicago (i.e., Cumbia and Samba). The dances were jointly choreographed by the PI and Mr. Mendez, a professional dance instructor and owner of The Dance Academy of Salsa and http://www.salsachicago.com/. The PI and dance instructor co-developed the extensive manual is used by program instructors and includes background information on the authors, an introduction describing the goals of the program, and descriptions of the various styles of dance. The manual also has photos and descriptions of each dance broken down into its component parts.

BEHAVIORAL

¡En Forma y Fuerte! @home/en casa

The ¡En Forma y Fuerte! Program. ¡En Forma y Fuerte! is designed to be delivered in Spanish by bilingual, bicultural, qualified exercise instructors. Instructors are required to have an exercise instructor/specialist certification through a national organization such as the American College of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercise, or Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, or to have an undergraduate degree in an exercise science related field. The 8 hour training uses both didactic and hands-on role modeling for delivering both the exercise and health education components of the program. Instructors in the online version will also participate in a 60 minute training designed for this new version of the program. We have previously developed an asynchronous, online instructor training for the customary program and will translate it to Spanish for this proposal.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Illinois at Chicago

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-08-01

Primary Completion

2024-10-14

Completion

2024-11-01

Countries

• United States

Study Locations