Lifestyle Interventions among African Americans

I have been working with Robert Newton over the past several years on lifestyle interventions that are tailored to older African Americans in the Baton Rouge area. In the Program for African American Cognition and Exercise (PAACE), we showed that a 12-week successful aging education program provided more cognitive benefits than a 12-week physical activity program did. Now, in the Reducing Alzheimer’s risk in African Americans through Exercise (RAATE) studies, we are having older African American adults complete a one-year exercise program or one-year educational course. These studies have all been informed by engagement with members of the Baton Rouge African American community.

Coverage of our PAACE study results.

RAATE studies

Publications:

Gwizdala KL, Brouillete R, Beyl R, Johnson W, Hebert C, Carter L, Harris M, Newton RL, Jr., Carmichael OT. Exercise effects on cognition in older african americans: A pilot randomized trial. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022; 14:921978. PMCID: PMC9354972. PMID: 35936770.

Gwizdala KL, Pugh EA, Carter L, Carmichael OT*, Newton Jr, RL*. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Research Participation Among Older African Americans. (E-pub June 8, 2022) Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2022. PMID: 35700326.

Newton RL, Jr., Beyl R, Hebert C, Harris M, Carter L, Gahan W, Carmichael O. A physical activity intervention in older african americans: The paace pilot randomized controlled trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022;54(10):1625-34. PMCID: PMC9488750. PMID: 35522253.

Pugh E, Stewart J, Carter L, Calamia M, Carmichael O*, Newton RL, Jr.* Beliefs, understanding, and barriers related to dementia research participation among older african americans. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2022;36(1)52-57. PMID: 34483256.

Carter L, Hebert C, Carmichael O*, Newton RL Jr*. Racial congruence in physical activity interventions among older African Americans. Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology. 2020;4(1):28-30.