AbstractBackgroundAfrican Americans (AA) are twice as likely to develop dementia compared to White counterparts. Cigarette smoking is a known modifiable risk factor for dementia and harder to quit with worse health outcomes for AA versus White adults. Because age is the strongest predictor of dementia onset, and older adults are half as likely to quit smoking compared to younger counterparts, older AA adults who smoke may be at higher risk for dementia compared to older non‐Hispanic whites. Culturally‐specific interventions for AA smokers are beneficial in terms of intentions to quit, utilization of quit‐smoking resources, and quitting success. However, there has yet to be a culturally‐specific message for older adult AA smokers to motivate cessation attempts and increase the use of evidence‐based quitting treatments.Method8 focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted with current and former AA smokers between 50‐80 years old with no history of dementia or MCI. Interviews lasted 60 minutes, used a semi‐structured interview guide, and were completed in person or virtually and led by a trained moderator knowledgeable of smoking in AA communities.ResultDirected content analyses using a combination of deductive/inductive coding identified themes in 5 domains: concerns about aging, previous tobacco prevention advertisements, recommendations for future tobacco prevention advertisements, smoking and health risks, and smoking cessation treatments. Participants reported multiple concerns about aging; most were related to their smoking. Contrary to previous research with primarily White older adults who smoke, AA participants indicated dementia was no more important than any other health condition in motivating quitting. Most participants reported a strong existing motivation to quit, but multiple barriers impeded their success. One key barrier to quitting was access to cessation resources, and participants reported a strong desire for support groups with similarly aged and race‐concordant peers trying to quit smoking. Participants felt existing cessation advertisements were not made for them and did not include enough information to be helpful.ConclusionFindings highlight a need for increased resources to support cessation efforts in older adult AA communities, utility of developing culturally‐specific messages, and importance of discussing priorities with communities prior to developing dementia prevention messaging.