Perceptions of Brain Health and Cognition in Older African Americans and Caucasians With HIV: A Focus Group Study.
David E Vance, C Ann Gakumo, Gwendolyn D Childs and 2 others
PMID 28802912WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with HIV described everyday memory and word-finding problems.
Some used lists, calendars, family help, and driving limits. They knew lifestyle factors might help brain health but could not explain how.
Key findings
01Participants reported everyday cognitive complaints such as misplacing items, forgetting names or appointments, word-finding difficulty, and rapid forgetting.
02They mostly accepted these complaints and used compensation strategies: lists, calendars, relying on family and friends, and limiting driving.
03Participants knew brain health mattered but had limited understanding of how lifestyle factors affected cognition.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Thirty participants in four focus groups, including one group where ten were scheduled but only three attended, is too small to represent older adults with HIV broadly. Participants were selected because they already reported cognitive complaints, and no neurocognitive testing was done, so their complaints were not classified as HAND. The sample was mostly African American, from one clinic in the Southeastern United States, and had few Caucasian women, so views may not transfer to other regions or groups. The study did not test whether education or lifestyle changes improve cognition, so it cannot support treatment effects.
Declared interests
The authors reported no real or perceived vested interests that could be a conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that lifestyle changes improve cognition. The study did not test an intervention, did not assess participants with a neurocognitive battery, and only reported participants' perceptions.