Healthy Brain Healthy Life: an innovative and culturally tailored approach to dementia prevention in minority ethnic communities

Despite having an increased risk of developing dementia, individuals from minority ethnic communities are largely overlooked by research and dementia services and are less likely to receive timely diagnosis and appropriate support. Culturally specific programmes and policies that promote awareness and engage with minority ethnic communities around brain health and dementia are urgently needed to prevent, diagnose and support people living with dementia. In response to these challenges, we developed and evaluated the Healthy Brain Healthy Life project, a targeted culturally tailored dementia-prevention public engagement project to create dialogue and engage with minority ethnic communities around brain health and dementia. The project involved a series of co-produced, culturally tailored interactive workshops with minority ethnic communities and community organisations in the UK. Outputs, which remain an available resource, included: (a) co-produced culturally tailored information booklet; (b) a recipe book, including six recipes and information on ingredients that support brain health; and (c) digital stories from each workshop, sharing the experiences of participants and highlighting key messages on brain health. This article is a practice case study that describes the co-production process, implementation and evaluation of the workshops. The project achieved national and international impact, creating dialogue around dementia in the workshops, the local community and on social media. Here, we share the learnings from our approach as an example of best-practice in engaging minority ethnic communities to develop knowledge and understanding of this stigmatised condition to inform future research. Our lessons demonstrate the value and impact of co-production and participatory methods embedded in cultural competency to create community discussion around public health agendas and messages.

Keywords: minority ethnic communities, African, Caribbean, South Asian, dementia, brain health, culturally tailored, creative methodology, co-production