University of Houston students producing a series of Telenovelas to showcase how Alzheimer’s disease is impacting the Hispanic/Latino population
A University of Houston researcher is working to increase health literacy among Hispanics/Latinos (H/Ls) when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The largest ethnic minority in the U.S., at 18% of the population, H/Ls are 50% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than non-Hispanic whites. H/Ls also live longer, develop AD symptoms earlier, are diagnosed at later stages and are less likely to be treated.
The University of Houston announced back in December how a student had a mission to raise awareness about brain health in the Hispanic community and was one of nearly 30 aspiring writers from across Houston to compete in a one-day creative script writing “hackathon” hosted by the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication. The goal was to develop a telenovela script, or Latin American soap opera, to inform Hispanics of all ages about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Health experts at UH say Hispanics are 50% more likely to develop dementia or other related diseases than non-Hispanic white Americans but only account for 1% of clinical trials studying Alzheimer’s disease.
Filming for the project started Saturday, April 9th, 2022 and is expected to continue each weekend, except Easter, until April 24th. UH officials say the majority of the filming will take place at the campus but do have some other location shots.
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