July 28, 2016

Bringing Asian American Voices to the Table

In a partnership with the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA), researchers from the Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) and scholars with the UW Healthy Brain Research Network (HBRN) will be testing cognitive health promotion messages for cultural relevance. This project, Evaluating the Acceptability of Public Health Messages to Promote Early Detection of Dementia in Local Asian American Communities, aligns well with NAPCA’s mission to bring Asian American voices to the table for the preservation of the dignity, well-being, and quality of life of the Asian American community as they age.

Four focus groups will be conducted with local Chinese and Japanese adults. Messages are intended to activate adults who have concerns about an aging parent’s memory health by encouraging them to accompany the parent to a visit with a physician or memory care specialist. NAPCA is integrally involved, providing trained facilitators and working with local affiliate organizations to identify community host sites and recruit participants. This work builds upon CDC-funded formative research and message development and testing conducted at the University of Pennsylvania’s HBRN Center by Amy Jordan and Jason Karlawish.

Focus group message testing will be conducted concurrently in African American, Latino, and LGBT communities by HBRN member and affiliate centers at Oregon Health & Science University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Houston, respectively. UW HBRN researchers and scholars will coordinate locally and across centers nationally to ensure study fidelity, analyze results, and share best practices and lessons learned.