SHARP is a neighborhood-based and technology-supported approach to brain health for older Black adults that integrates walking and image-prompted social reminiscence to maintain or improve brain health.
The SHARP study tests the feasibility, usability, and cultural relevance of an android application-supported walking study for brain health among older Black adults. The SHARP walking application enables the seamless integration of the brain-healthy behaviors of walking, social engagement, and reminiscence. Methods: Over the course of 24 weeks in the rapidly gentrifying historically Black neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon, triads aim to complete three 1-mile walks per week. The SHARP application is preprogrammed with 72 themed, 1-mile routes, accessible via a group tablet device. At three points along each route, GPS-triggered "Memory Markers" (historical images of local Black culture) appear on the walking application, serving as prompts for conversational reminiscence as triads walk. Walking reminiscence sessions are recorded for inclusion into a digital oral history archive.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
PREVENTION
Enrollment
21
Behavioral intervention to increase physical and social activity. In triads, participants walk 1-mile neighborhood routes three times per week and engage in image-based conversational reminiscence.
Feasibility
Program readiness scale - how close is the program to being ready to deploy to other older Black Americans?
Time frame: 24 weeks
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