Dr. Jason Crandall, an Associate Professor of Exercise Science & Kinesiology and Co-Director of the Center for Applied Science in Health and Aging in the WKU College of Health and Human Services, was recently awarded a grant from the Kentucky Department of Public Health to promote health equity and COVID-19 immunizations in underserved populations across Kentucky through the popular health program he created, Bingocize®. One of the primary goals of the project is to leverage current community partnerships to build the capacity to offer COVID-19 educational components state-wide using the established Bingocize® platform and implement new Bingocize® COVID-19 educational components across the state.

Recognizing Bingocize® can improve the health of people of all ages, including those with disabilities, by addressing specific accessibility barriers, Dr. Crandall partnered with the Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative (KIHC) at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) to incorporate universal design (UD) principles into the Bingocize® facilitator training. In addition, Bingocize® and its community partners are currently working to address health inequities in communities across the state of Kentucky. Bingocize® helps increase social engagement and physical activity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when it’s been particularly limited, which can contribute to a continued decline in activities of daily living and functional performance, as well as a serious increase in fall risk.

Dr. Crandall shared, “Since I created Bingocize over a decade ago, my goal has always been to help improve the quality of life for as many people as possible.  With the gracious financial support from KDPH, we will be able to expand the Bingocize platform to serve additional vulnerable communities, while addressing the problem of COVID-19 vaccine update.”

Bingocize® has a successful track record of impacting Kentucky older adults’ health. However, people of all ages and ability levels have shown to be more likely to participate in health promoting programs that are game-centered, interactive, and socially engaging, which makes them enjoyable. This factor makes Bingocize® ideal for not only encouraging intergenerational physical activity, but also delivering important COVID-19 immunization and vaccination information to those most in need throughout the state.

About Bingocize®: Dr. Jason Crandall, Associate Professor in the WKU CHHS School of Kinesiology, Recreation & Sport, created Bingocize®, a socially engaging group-based program that combines exercise, health education, and the widely popular game of bingo.  Successfully tested by a research team, Bingocize® found over 90% of older adults were retained over the course of a 10-week program and they significantly improved physical, social, and mental health.  Bingocize® is delivered live by a trained lay leader either face-to-face or using web-based Bingocize® Online.  With critical endorsements from the United States Administration for Community Living and Department of Agriculture, Bingocize® offers licenses, online training, program materials and equipment, and merchandise to nursing homes, assisted living, senior centers, and hospital trauma centers across the US and the world. Visit www.wku.edu/bingocize for more information.