Adaptation and evaluation of a mHealth tool to improve knowledge on dementia prevention and support behavior change to reduce dementia risk (“MyBraincoach.de”) in middle-aged and older adults in Germany

• Applicant: Dr. Andrea Zülke
• Subject Area: Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 557844849

Internet-based (eHealth) or mobile (mHealth) interventions have been highlighted an innovative approach for delivering tailored advice on brain health, allowing for large-scale implementation of highly individualized interventions aimed at the reduction of dementia risk at the population level. First systematic reviews and meta-analyses reported beneficial effects of eHealth/mHealth-interventions on cognitive function and reduced dementia risk. The project applied for aims to translate and adapt the modular multidomain smartphone-based intervention "MijnBreincoach" ("My Braincoach" in Dutch) for dementia risk reduction to the German healthcare setting and to test the app in a pre-post pilot study. Outcomes of the pilot study are success of recruitment (number of interested, eligible, recruited individuals etc.), feasibility of recruitment, retention of participants at follow-up (12 weeks after baseline), use of the app, usability and usefulness and reasons for discontinuing the study. A sample of n=75 middle-aged and older (40-75 years) adults will be recruited using convenience sampling. Further parameters to be assessed include changes in dementia risk, dementia literacy, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy and motivation for behavior change. Lastly, a moderated remote focus group will be conducted with a sample of n=8 participants of the pilot study in order to gain detailed insights on the target group’s experiences with usage of the app and to assess possible suggestions for modification and improvement of the app. In work package 1, the MijnBreincoach-app will be translated (Dutch to German, including back-translation) and adapted to the German healthcare context (name of the app: "MyBraincoach”). Subsequently, the adapted app will be technically implemented. Work package 2 aims to test the respective app in a single-center pre-post pilot study to gain information on practicability of recruitment, app use, use and usability. The respective information will be used to inform the design of a subsequent confirmatory randomized controlled trial to test effectiveness of the app regarding reduced dementia risk and knowledge of risk factors for dementia. In work package 3, a moderated remote focus group with n=8 participants of the pilot study (work package 2) will be conducted to gain in-depth information on user experiences with the app, as well as potential suggestions for modifications of the app (e.g., regarding layout, design, or navigation). The respective data from the focus group will be analyzed using qualitative content analysis to gain insight into user experiences and possible suggestions for improvements of the app.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Netherlands
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Adriana Berlanga; Professor Dr. Martin van Boxtel; Dr. Kay Deckers; Professor Dr. Sebastian Köhler
• Co-Investigators: Professorin Dr. Hanna Kaduszkiewicz; Professorin Dr. Steffi G. Riedel-Heller