JMIR Research Protocols

In the United States, the prevalence of Alzheimer disease (AD) is projected to double over the next 30 years, with associated familial and societal costs estimated at US $1 trillion annually if current trends continue. Although pharmacological treatments of AD are showing promise, the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors, particularly during the preclinical phase of AD, may reduce dementia rates by up to 45%. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), defined as persistent self-perceived declines in cognitive functioning compared with previously normal cognitive abilities, has been identified as a potential preclinical stage of AD.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social communication deficits and cognitive impairment. As pharmacological and behavioral treatments often show inconsistent efficacy, massage therapy—a low-risk complementary approach including and acupressure—is used to improve cognitive symptoms, yet its systematic efficacy and safety remain unevaluated.

Playfulness—being and acting playful—is often associated with childhood, yet evidence suggests that it remains a meaningful resource throughout life. In later life, playfulness may support social connectedness, emotional well-being, and a sense of agency, even in contexts of illness or institutional living. Playfulness encompasses not only observable playful activities but also an inner disposition, such as curiosity, humor, or spontaneity, which may be constrained by environmental barriers, aging, or functional limitations. Despite its potential relevance for health and person-centered care, playfulness remains underexplored in gerontological and caregiving research. No validated instrument currently exists to assess playfulness among older adults in Swedish municipal care. This research program addresses this gap by clarifying the concepts of play and playfulness and by developing and psychometrically evaluating a new instrument, Play and Supportive Environments (PLAY-SE).

The effectiveness of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treatment is highly time-dependent, and the information barrier between prehospital and in-hospital settings remains a key driver of treatment delays. Existing digital coordination tools either have a single function or lack long-term real-world evidence, making it difficult to meet clinical needs. This study adopts a prehospital chest pain alert app developed by the Fengxian District Medical Emergency Center. Mediated through a WeChat-based chest pain center group, the app enables prehospital information synchronization, real-time alerts, multidisciplinary coordination, and feedback on treatment outcomes to form a closed-loop model, overcoming the information barrier.

Myopia is increasingly prevalent worldwide, with projections indicating that nearly 50% of the global population may have myopia by 2050. This surge poses significant concerns due to its impact on vision and quality of life and its link to a range of blinding diseases, including myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinal detachment. Current pharmacologic and optical interventions offer limited effectiveness in slowing myopia progression, highlighting the urgent need for more effective treatments.

While the onset of most mental health conditions occurs in later childhood or adolescence, the early years present an important window for prevention. Worldwide, universal school-based prevention interventions have been shown to be effective in promoting child mental health. Nevertheless, little is known about universal school-based prevention programs targeting children aged 6 to 9 years in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Despite medical advancements, preterm birth rates in the United States remain high and contribute substantially to infant mortality and long-term morbidity, with Black families disproportionately affected. Very preterm (VPT) infants—born between 24 and 30 weeks’ gestation—are frequently delivered at community hospitals that lack advanced neonatal care and therefore require postnatal transport to tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). While neonatal transport is essential for optimizing infant outcomes, it can create additional challenges for families, including geographic separation from the NICU, disruptions to early parent-infant bonding, and increased parental psychosocial stress. These challenges may be further intensified by social vulnerability and experiences of perceived discrimination in health care settings.

Early exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as parental substance use, elevates the risk of future substance use and drug overdose, and in the absence of intervention, could perpetuate a cycle of substance-related ACEs across generations. Although research suggests that effectively decreasing the prevalence and impact of ACEs and substance use can benefit from addressing both family- and community-level factors in tandem, there is a critical gap in the evidence base pertaining to interventions that effectively integrate these 2 factors to prevent substance use and ACEs.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) poses a unique and formidable challenge to healthy personnel at high altitudes.

Increasingly, people are living with multimorbidity and long-term conditions or permanent impairments, which contribute substantially to health loss and additional health inequity. Critical to managing this health crisis is the appropriate support provided by health and social services. International research has informed the implementation of supported self-management knowledge into Aotearoa New Zealand. Meagre attention has been given to how New Zealand health care organizations can appropriately support people to self-manage their lifelong conditions within their own life contexts and cultures. Currently in New Zealand, those experiencing the greatest health inequities are Māori and Pacific peoples—Tāngata Whaikaha Māori (Māori living with disability) and people with learning (intellectual) disability who live with long-term health conditions or permanent impairments. This research aims to challenge and reframe supported self-management in New Zealand to enable our underserved populations and their whānau (families) to receive appropriate support to live well.

Childhood is a critical period for physical and cognitive development, in which nutrition plays a fundamental role. Dairy products, rich in calcium, vitamin D, and high-quality protein, are essential for bone health, body composition development, and cognitive performance. However, evidence on the long-term impact of dairy consumption on children’s growth and development, particularly in the Canadian context, is limited. Additionally, recent revisions to the Canadian Food Guide, which classify dairy as part of the protein group rather than as a separate food group, may influence caregiver perceptions and children’s dairy intake.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for fostering collaboration and communication among health care professionals to improve patient outcomes. Early IPE training for prehealth undergraduate students has been shown to enhance teamwork, dismantle stereotypes, and build self-efficacy in health care settings. Self-efficacy is the belief that one can achieve their goals and succeed at tasks. These outcomes contribute to creating a cohesive and equitable health care environment focused on patient-centered care. Despite evidence supporting the benefits of IPE training, there is a lack of consistent implementation at the undergraduate level across institutions.