How air quality and neighborhood design affect thinking and social connection in rural older adults
Cognitive Function, Air Quality, and Built Environment among Rural Residents at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
['FUNDING_R01'] · FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY · NIH-11311345
This project uses wearables and daily surveys to look at whether air pollution, local neighborhood features, and social isolation affect thinking and memory in middle-aged and older rural adults.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (BOCA RATON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11311345 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you live in five communities around Lake Okeechobee and are middle-aged or older without dementia, researchers will follow you for up to five years with regular memory checks and questionnaires about your social life. They will link your results to community measures of air quality and the built environment to see how local conditions relate to thinking and memory over time. A smaller group of 120 participants will wear Apple Watches for two months and complete short daily surveys, especially during periods of agricultural burning, to collect detailed activity and exposure data. The goal is to spot patterns that might explain accelerated cognitive decline in rural residents and suggest ways to reduce risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Community-dwelling, dementia-free adults aged 21 and older living in the five Lake Okeechobee-area communities who can complete cognitive tests, surveys, and (for a subgroup) wear an Apple Watch are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People with diagnosed dementia, those younger than 21, or residents who do not live in the target rural communities are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal environmental and social factors that raise dementia risk in rural adults and guide community or personal actions to protect thinking and memory.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research links air pollution and social isolation to worse cognition, but combining wearables, daily surveys, and community-level measures in a rural population is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
BOCA RATON, UNITED STATES
- FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY — BOCA RATON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: WIESE, LISA ANN — FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: WIESE, LISA ANN
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.