Applying a Human-Centered Innovation Biodesign Framework in the Development and Piloting of a Program to Mitigate Cognitive Decline Among Historically Underrepresented Patients (Preprint)

Abstract

Roughly 40% of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD related dementias (ADRD) and up to 20% of AD/ADRD deaths are preventable by addressing modifiable risk factors like physical inactivity. Past programs and technologies to promote and measure physical activity often overlook the voices of the end-user in minoritized groups living with AD/ADRD, or memory challenges.

We apply a human-centered design framework as a call to action to address these gaps and provide a use case.

We applied a human-centered design based on our published Innovation Biodesign framework, to identify clinical needs and map solutions, including gaps in the design and usability testing of technology to measure and monitor physical activity in dementia care. We illustrated the implementation of the framework utilizing a needs assessment and secondary data from the co-design process of a Green Activity Program that tailors nature or “green” activities to improve well-being measuring sleep, activity, and heart rate using the ActiGraph LEAP activity tracker. The program was designed in collaboration with multiple partners, including Hispanic/Latino individuals living with memory challenges in the Bronx, New York.

The framework involved problem and solution spaces with an iterative refinement process and highlighted a need to utilize human-centered approaches to select, monitor, and assess desired outcomes of well-being, activity, and sleep for Hispanic/Latino people living with memory challenges. The framework enabled us to conduct a needs assessment and an iterative co-design process to design the program and a future pilot study utilizing the ActiGraph LEAP.

The framework empowered us to identify and characterize a clinical problem and gaps in the use of technology to measure and monitor physical activity and advance towards a solution space when designing the Green Activity Program to address the unique social needs of older Hispanic/Latino people living with memory challenges. Application of the framework serves as a call to action to apply human-centered approaches to address the clinical needs of minoritized groups with memory challenges.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06403345.