Global community and farm data for local environmental health

International Population and Agricultural Census Data for Environmental Health Research

NIH-funded research University of Minnesota · NIH-11222281

Building a free, easy-to-use collection of international population and agricultural census data to help researchers and policymakers protect communities, including older adults, from environmental health risks.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Minnesota NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Minneapolis, United States)
Project IDNIH-11222281 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

The team is collecting population, housing, and agricultural census tables from many countries and standardizing them into one documented database. They will link data about people (age, housing, employment) with local farming practices and geographic boundaries to make community-level information ready for analysis. The resource will be available through a user-friendly website so researchers, public-health officials, and community groups can find where people are most vulnerable to climate and environmental hazards. This work focuses on making big census datasets accessible and usable for questions like where older adults face higher risks from heat, pollution, or food insecurity.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Communities with many older adults and farming households whose local census and agricultural records are included in the database are the primary beneficiaries.

Not a fit: People living in areas without recent or detailed census or agricultural data, or whose health problems are unrelated to community-level environmental factors, may see little direct benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could help identify neighborhoods and farming communities at high environmental risk so resources, warnings, and policies can be targeted where they are most needed.

How similar studies have performed: This builds on the established IPUMS data platforms, which have been successfully used by researchers for related population and environmental studies.

Where this research is happening

Minneapolis, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.