Pilot Project to Assess Feasibility of Health Campaigns in Community Organizations to Improve Health Equity among Aging African Americans (RPA Pilot/ Seed Project)

Over the next 10 years, the United States will experience a shifting demographic as baby boomers enter old age. By 2030, this will equate to over 1.2 million adults in Kentucky, totaling over 26% of the state’s population. Kentucky’s health infrastructure to support aging adults is ranked 49th in the country due to poor health outcomes, limited resources for active aging, and high poverty rates. Innovative initiatives are needed in the state to improve the aging experience, including health, well-being, and quality of life for our residents. By partnering with community organizations, such as faith-based centers, service-based organizations, and healthcare providers allows health researchers have avenues for access to older adults via trusted community leaders. The project proposed establishes a new framework for health message dissemination among historically marginalized populations in order to reduce health disparities commonly seen in aging, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). This program exemplifies the mission of UNITE at UK and is designed to address health inequities in our state. This pilot project utilizes the traditional translational perspective of implementation research whereby using community-based health screening as the evidence-based intervention of interest. The initial exploration phase has been conducted with community stakeholders (please see letter of support). If selected, funds will support preparation and implementation of the overall objective of this project: to establish mechanisms for early identification and early intervention for modifiable risk factors of ADRD among older adults of minority communities within underserved, rural regions of Kentucky. Keywords: Health equity; Aging; Community-based research; Minority