Boon Jeffrey T, Grubbs Brandon, Patel Maulik R, Dunavan John, Knickerbocker Kelly J, Maxwell Cathy A
Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Department of Health and Human Performance, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA.
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2025 Jul 24. doi: 10.1111/jgs.70019.
Geroscience explores aging at the cellular level. We developed a lay-friendly science communication intervention (MitoFit) that addresses healthy aging through mitochondrial fitness. The intervention aims to promote physical activity by educating aging adults about optimizing mitochondrial function to promote healthy aging and prevention of chronic disease. We conducted focus groups to gauge older adults' responses to the video component of the intervention and the effect on their uptake of the intervention.
Adults ages 50 and older (N = 101; mean age 67.8 years, 75.0% female, 71.7% White, 27.3% Black or African American) participated in one of 16 focus group sessions in community sites in the Nashville, TN, USA area.
Participants viewed the six MitoFit videos two at a time, pausing after each set of two for focus group discussions of their responses to those videos. Facilitators used a semi-structured interview guide, and the focus groups were audio recorded. After all focus groups, three study team members analyzed the transcripts using open and axial coding processes. After the discussion of emergent themes from the data, a conceptual model was developed depicting how the science communication approach operated in the sample.
The participants reported overall positive responses to the video quality and content, including recognizing that they were able to understand scientific content about mitochondrial function and its relationship to aging. Participants expressed a sense of having to take action toward physical activity and a sense of hope as a result of the science communication. Our conceptual model suggests that the science communication approach fosters cognitive restructuring, which in turn enhances motivation to engage in physical activity.
The MitoFit scientific communication was well received and should be considered in behavior change strategies that promote physical activity in community-dwelling older adults.
