Grant: Catalyst Grant: Partnering for Impact - Health Services and Policy Research

Black Health Initiative was created to improve fairness. But how the Black principles in the health initiative have been used in community health center that provide health promotion programs for Black older adults (BOAs) is missing. The Catalyst Partnership Grant wants to build stronger research ties with GTA community centers that serve BOAs. It also aims to create hands-on and theory-based Afrocentric strategies to remove barriers and use what helps BOAs take part in health programs. Our main partner is Rexdale Community Health Centre. Other partners include Black Creek Health Care Centre, TAIBU, and Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services. An eight-member advisory committee (AC) will guide the project. The project has two phases, led by the advisory group and using Afrocentric co-creation. Phase 1 will use focus groups or one-on-one interviews. We will talk with 12 health program delivery officers (three from each center), 20 BOAs, and 20 family members. Each group will have its own focus group to learn about their experiences with health programs and to come up with ideas to add Afrocentric methods. In Phase 1, we will also visit at least three care sites at each CHC to see how programs are run and find real barriers and helpers to using Afrocentric practices. Phase 2 will have a two-day NDABA village meeting. Day 1 will bring together 25 people from the four CHCs, including 10 BOAs, 5 family members, 5 community service providers, and 5 policymakers. They will map the Phase 1 barriers and helpers onto the Behavior Change Wheel (COM-B: Capability, Opportunity, Motivation) to see what is needed to adopt Afrocentric methods in health programs. Day 2 will let the AC choose which intervention ideas to use and check them with the APEASE criteria (Affordability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Acceptability, Safety, and Equity). TiDiER reporting will be used to help repeat the work in the future.