Co-Producing and Evaluating a Culturally Inclusive Dementia Education Initiative: A Multimethod Study Protocol

Introduction

Limited dementia awareness among culturally and linguistically diverse communities can exacerbate stigma and hinder support for carers and people at risk of or living with dementia. Co-producing a culturally inclusive dementia education intervention with representative stakeholders can address these knowledge and service gaps. This paper details the protocol for designing and evaluating a co-produced multilingual dementia education intervention named Dementia Friends Unite. This project aims to improve dementia knowledge, attitudes and supportive practices in a multicultural context.

Method

This project will be conducted in South Western Sydney, Australia, where Arabic, Cantonese, English, Greek, Mandarin and Vietnamese are the most common languages spoken. A multi-stakeholder collaboration involving representatives from each of these communities was formed to co-produce the multilingual dementia education intervention. Two studies are planned to explore the co-production process and evaluate the intervention's impact, guided by implementation science frameworks. Study 1 will examine stakeholder and researcher experiences in co-production through minuted meetings and responses to the patient and public engagement evaluation tool. Data will be descriptively analysed to identify the barriers and facilitators to co-production. Study 2 involves evaluating the initiative's impact according to the RE-AIM framework. Outcome measures include intervention reach and effectiveness in changing participants' knowledge, attitudes and supportive practices through questionnaires (pre-, post- and follow-up) and interviews; adoption and implementation characteristics through focus groups with stakeholders and facilitators; and maintenance through a cost–benefit analysis.

Conclusion

This project will employ a comprehensive approach to address unmet needs and research gaps in co-produced dementia education and its implementation in multicultural contexts. It can serve as a blueprint for others seeking to engage culturally diverse populations in community-based health education and research.

Patient or Public Contribution

A multi-stakeholder collaboration involving representatives from local government and care services, as well as people with living and caring experiences of dementia, from each of the targeted communities, was formed to co-produce this initiative. Their involvement spans study design, conduct, interpretation of findings and dissemination.