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women in the amazon
Project
Project Type - Pilot Projects

Promoting Brain Health through Amazonian Dance

Exploring the effects of culturally-adapted dance interventions in Brazil
Latin America & Caribbean

Overview

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, are a significant health and social challenge worldwide. In Latin America, Parkinson’s disproportionately affects older and lower-educated adults from socially disadvantaged and racially diverse backgrounds, a fact that is currently widely neglected by policy makers. Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. People with Parkinson’s are typified by motor impairments and diverse cognitive and non-motor symptoms, causing progressive disability and dependence that jointly affect brain health. It is important to develop and strengthen new strategies to promote brain health in this population, particularly in low-middle income countries, like Brazil. One way of doing so is by promoting culturally-adapted non-pharmacological interventions, such as regional dances. There is a need to explore the effects of culturally-adapted dance interventions on brain health among underrepresented people with Parkinson’s in low-middle income countries to provide more evidence about its impact and feasibility. 
 

Project Details

This pilot project will evaluate feasibility and explore the impact of an Amazonian dance protocol on brain health in underrepresented people with Parkinson’s, comparing groups from two Brazilian regions: North Region, which is culturally identified with Amazonian dances, and South Region, which is not. Over two years, I will pursue three specific actions/aims: Aim 1: To develop an exploratory pilot project with an embedded feasibility study; Aim 2: To embed Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in the pilot study approach and process, incorporating guidance from those with lived experience; Aim 3: To generate and disseminate knowledge about the project. This pilot project will: a) highlight the importance of promoting brain health in underrepresented people with Parkinson’s in a low-middle income country; a) contribute evidence about the impact of culturally-adapted dance interventions; c) increase the availability of culturally-adapted dance interventions for a population at risk of developing dementia; and, d) preserve cultural heritage through Amazonian dance. The results of this project will enable the development of a future randomized clinical control trial.