Old SCHOOL Hip-Hop: Improve Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the knowledge of parents and children with respect to dementia symptoms, risk factors, and response before and after an interactive dementia education program that uses music and dance to enhance a health education curriculum at 1-week and 3-months after the intervention.

Public awareness of Cardinal Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms remains low. Adults often underestimate personal dementia risk; minority populations are more likely to have low dementia literacy and be unaware of it. Cultural dementia belief in minority groups are complex and pose barriers to diagnosis, with dementia symptoms being considered a part of normal aging, or that discussion may be taboo even when recognized. A key barrier to timely AD diagnosis in African Americans is delayed physician contact, often years-long, following the onset of first symptoms. Despite studies demonstrating that dementia concepts first develop in elementary school periods, apart from our work, no dementia awareness programs focus on children. This intervention therefore addresses a major gap regarding optimal approaches for shifting cultural perceptions of dementia in low-income minority populations and reducing barriers to its timely diagnosis.

A school-based intervention called "Old S.C.H.O.O.L. Hip-Hop" (OSHH) or Seniors Can Have Optimal aging and Ongoing Longevity, to educate 4th and 5th grade students (ages 9-11y) about key dementia signs and symptoms, basic pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease, and the importance of early recognition, care-seeking behavior, and preventative measures (lifelong healthy lifestyle decisions). The intervention is delivered in a classroom or school auditorium setting, using an innovative, modular, multimedia program and home-based activities, to increase parental and family dementia literacy.

The program selected for the control arm, "My Plate," will address nutrition, physical activity, and obesity education. This program was selected because nutrition, physical activity, and wellness programs are now being incorporated into New York City public school curriculums as part of a legislative directive. Trained facilitators will conduct "My Plate" as an entry point for the USDA's My Plate nutrition program. Students will learn about My Plate across the 3-day one-hour-a-day program.

An instrument with multiple choice questions to assess knowledge of recognition of 6 key signs/symptoms and ability to formulate the correct action plan in response to recognizing dementia.

Inclusion Criteria: 4th and 5th-grade children (ages 9-11y) and their parents (age > 20 years). Selected New York City public schools with similar socio-demographic composition. Exclusion Criteria: Schools have already received pilot OSHH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programming.