Effectively engaging African American and Latino communities on brain health and Alzheimer’s disease prevention

Many have long believed that underrepresented communities are difficult to reach. UsAgainstAlzheimer's (UsA2) understands communication methods and language used to reach White people may not be as effective when used to reach African Americans, Latinos, or other populations. It is therefore imperative that messages be personalized in such a way to be culturally relevant to and resonate with minoritized communities and that those messages be delivered by trusted members of the community, such as known health care providers, social workers, and community health workers. These trusted messengers often reside in and understand the communities they serve, which gives them a distinct advantage. Research has shown that nurses are some of the most trusted communicators of health information to their peers and the communities they serve. This article explores learnings from UsAgainstAlzheimer's work, funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Healthy Brain Initiative cooperative agreement, including providing specialized training to nurses. It also addresses the impact of Alzheimer's on African American and Latino communities and how to communicate action-oriented strategies to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's in these communities.