Project inCharge: Increasing the Rate of Comprehensive Eye Care Utilization by Older African Americans Through Community-Based Eye Health Education Program

Project inCharge: Increasing the Rate of Comprehensive Eye Care Utilization by Older African Americans Through Community-Based Eye Health Education Program

The study design is a randomized intervention evaluation. Ten senior centers in predominately African American communities in the Birmingham, Alabama will be selected as sites for the educational intervention. Five centers will be randomly assigned to receive an educational intervention communicating practical information about vision, eye conditions and eye care as pertinent to the older African American population. The other five centers will serve as social-contact controls, where participants will receive an engaging information session on a non-health related topic. The primary outcome of interest is the change in percentage of persons receiving comprehensive eye care from pre- to post- intervention. The secondary outcomes are the process outcomes of improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and values about vision, eye conditions, and eye care.

Inclusion Criteria:

• African Americans ages >=60 years residing in the communities targeted for intervention or control activities

Exclusion Criteria:

• Persons who do not speak English, persons who are not community-dwelling.