Compadre CART

Helping an underrepresented, high-risk group maintain independence with aging.

Study at a Glance

Estimated Time Commitment

1 in-person visit for 3 years

 

Age Eligibility

Age 62 or older

Diagnosis Required

None

 

Medication

None

Did you know?

  • Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are projected to double across the U.S. during the next 20 years.
  • Hispanics make up less than 1% of participants in National Institutes of Health clinical trials.
  • By 2030, 40% of Alzheimer’s patients in the U.S. will be Hispanic or Black

Study goals

To learn more about why dementia is disproportionately affecting Hispanics, our researchers are recruiting volunteers to learn how to better serve this underrepresented population, including:

  1. Physical activity is associated with reduced risk of dementia, but there is still a large gap in knowledge regarding how activity affects cognitive health in Mexican Americans. This study is designed to discover real-world physical, cognitive and social activity patterns that promote the risk of and resilience to cognitive decline in older Mexican American adults.
  2. The study will evaluate the relationship between engagement in physical activity and neuroimaging indexes of healthy brain aging and dementia.
  3. The study also will examine the inflammatory profile associated with activity engagement and its relationship with cognitive decline and healthy brain aging.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements to participate in the study include:

  • Age 62 or older
  • Identify as Mexican American
  • No significant mobility issues
  • No diagnosis of dementia
  • Living alone or with one other adult person
  • Have reliable broadband internet connection
  • Live in a home or apartment with more than one room

Participation

The study will be evaluating home-based technology to determine how to improve the health and well-being of older adults living at home. Findings from this study will be used to help older adults maintain health and independence as they age.

In this study, participants will use items such as activity monitoring wristwatches to provide insight about their mobility and sleep.

Participants will be in the study for 36 months and will have six clinical visits. Some visits can be completed at home.

The first visit will include:

  • Review of physical health, thinking and mood. Staff will also ask questions related to demographics and medical history
  • A brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, unless one has been completed in the past year

Once a week, participants will complete a 5-minute online behavior and health questionnaire.

Participants will also complete a questionnaire on physical and/or social activity.

After the first, second and third year there will be a three-hour follow-up assessment to review health information and collect blood samples.

In-home assessment system

In-home sensors will be used to help measure physical activity patterns.

Participants will receive a stipend of $20 each month to help offset the cost of internet service.

The in-home system will be removed at the end of the study or at any point the volunteer wishes to stop participating.

Provided smart technology devices will include:

  1. A small computer to collect and send the sensor information. The computer will conveniently be out of sight.
  2. Sensors on exit or entry doors.
  3. Motion sensors in each room. (These sensors are unable to record sound or pictures.)
  4. WorkTime software to count time on the computer. (This software is unable to view screen content or store information.)
  5. Beiwe application on the participant’s smart phone to measure why and how often the phone is used and the amount of physical activity done when the phone is being carried by the participant.
  6. Emfit QS sensor on the volunteer’s bed to enhance and validate the sleep data by reading heart and breathing rates, heart rate variability and movement activity, such as tossing and turning.
  7. Watch-like device to measure physical activity levels both in and outside of the home. This device will also help researchers understand the participant’s activity during the day and night, as the participant will be asked to wear it 24/7.

Meet Your Clinical Research Team

Contact us

Luis Serranorubio

Research Assistant

Phone: 210-450-8447