Low levels of health literacy concerning Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD) impact African American/Black communities access to appropriate ADRD care. Additionally, a legacy of mistrust in medical research due to systemic racism, has resulted in insufficient participation in ADRD clinical trials among African American/Black adults. This study explores the potential of generative AI to improve ADRD literacy and encourage participation in clinical trials among African American/Black older adults. We designed a mobile health intervention featuring AI-driven conversational agents - a chatbot and a voice assistant - specifically developed for this population. We tested the quality of the intervention using heuristics methodology adapted to the target population along with inputs from African American/ Black medical professionals and UX designers. Key findings highlight the unique needs of the African American/Black communities for culturally relevant content that is accessible to users with varying language levels and tailored to users' geographical location. Concerning the interaction, high levels of personalization and control over the interaction can promote the use of the tool, by minimizing complexity and maximizing accessibility. These findings show the novel contribution offered by our study in the domain of designing health technology with generative AI, particularly LLMS, for African American/Black communities.

Alzheimer's Disease and related dementia (ADRD) is prevalent in one in nine individuals age 65 or above, and it has a 65% higher risk of incidence for African American/Black adults. With an aging population in the United States and persisting healthcare inequities for African American/Black adults, our research aims to explore design requirements of a digital health platform for delivering culturally relevant content that informs African Americans/Black adults (45 years and older) about brain health and participation in clinical ADRD studies. We conducted seven focus groups (n = 44) to collect information on facilitators and barriers to brain health literacy and participation in clinical ADRD research, followed by seven participatory design workshops (n = 44) to collaboratively develop solutions for improving brain health literacy and participation in clinical ADRD research. Our findings provide insights into incorporating community into accessible, technological design for reducing brain health disparities for African American/Black adults.

The rise of ridesharing platforms has transformed traditional transportation, making it more accessible for getting to work and accessing grocery stores and healthcare providers, which are essential to physical and mental well-being. However, such technologies are not available everywhere. Additionally, there is a scarcity of HCI work that investigates how vulnerable populations such as rural-dwelling people with HIV face and overcome transportation barriers. To extend past research, we conducted 31 surveys and 18 interviews with people living with HIV (22 surveys, 14 interviews) and their case coordinators (9 surveys, 4 interviews) in rural areas. Contrary to past research, we found that the use of alternative vehicles, extensive support networks, and nonprofit health organizations facilitated transportation. However, distance, the lack of trust and infrastructure, stigma, and other cultural underpinnings made popular forms of urban transportation unappealing. We contextualize our findings with prior research and contribute implications for future research and design.