Program for African American Cognition & Exercise

Investigators will randomize 56 older African American adults into 1) a physical activity intervention specifically tailored to older African American or 2) a successful aging group. The 12-week physical activity intervention will consist of group based exercise sessions at a community facility and the successful aging groups will occur at Pennington Biomedical. Cognitive functioning and blood markers of circulating neurotrophic factors will be assessed to determine the brain effects of physical activity in this understudied population.

Specific Aim 1: To tailor a physical activity promotion intervention to community-dwelling African American elderly adults. Investigators will use focus groups to gather information needed to tailor a physical activity program to elderly African Americans.

Specific Aim 2: To determine if a physical activity promotion intervention in African American adults is effective in modifying physical activity and biological markers.

Specific Aim 3: To determine if a physical activity promotion intervention in African American adults benefits cognition and brain health. Change over the course of the intervention will be assessed in key AD related cognitive domains (memory, executive function, and processing speed).

Collecting this data sets the stage for the definitive study of exercise benefits on measures of amyloid, tau, inflammation, brain metabolism, and other AD-relevant pathways in elderly African Americans, which could in turn increase understanding of neurobiological mechanisms and optimal physical activity recommendations for elderly African Americans.

Inclusion criteria

• 65 - 85 years of age
• African American
• sedentary or insufficiently active
• not cognitively impaired
• physically capable of exercise
• willing to accept randomization
• willing to attend group sessions
• willing to live in the study area for the next 6 months
• willing to allow researchers to use data for research purposes after study participation is completed
• free of conditions that would make regular exercise unsafe as deemed by the medical investigator

Exclusion criteria

• unable or unwilling to give informed consent or accept randomization in either study group
• are cognitively impaired (MMSE score of ≤ 26)
• are unable to complete physical activity requirements (SPPB ≤ 3, complete 2 minute walk without sitting or resting against a surface)
• are too active (steps per day > 50th percentile for age and gender)
• have uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure > 200 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure > 110 mmHg).
• gave had a hip fracture, hip or knee replacement, or spinal surgery in the past 6 months
• have had a myocardial infarction, major heart surgery (i.e., valve replacement or bypass surgery), stroke, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolus in the past 6 months
• are undergoing physical therapy or cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
• are currently enrolled in another randomized trial involving lifestyle or pharmaceutical interventions
• have another member of the household that is a participant in PAACE
• have plans to relocate out of the study area within the next 6 months
• have uncontrolled diabetes that in the judgment of the MI may interfere with study participation
• have other medical, psychiatric, or behavioral factors that in the judgment of the Principal or Medical Investigator may interfere with study participation or the ability to follow the intervention protocol