How neighborhood life shapes longer lives for Black communities
The Black Zones: Harnessing Tech Enabled Community Driven Data, Big Population Health Data, & Agent-Based Models to Transform the Measures & Metrics around Longevity
This project uses community-collected mobile data and large population datasets to pinpoint neighborhood experiences that help African American and Black immigrant people live longer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Digital Organizing Power-Building and Engagement Labs NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oakland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11193990 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You and other community members will help collect real-time, location-based information about daily life and neighborhood conditions using mobile tools. Researchers will combine those community-driven data with large county-level datasets like the Black Progress Index and other population health records. They will build computer models that simulate how local resources, social ties, and environmental factors affect lifespan for Black residents. The team plans to co-develop measures with residents so the results reflect lived experience at the neighborhood level.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are African American adults and Black immigrants who live in or regularly spend time in the neighborhoods the project focuses on and can report experiences via a smartphone.
Not a fit: People who do not identify as Black or who lack access to a smartphone or live outside the study areas may not see direct benefits from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide policies and local programs to improve life expectancy and quality of life in Black neighborhoods.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work using large datasets and mobile health tools has linked neighborhood conditions to health, but combining community-driven mobile data with agent-based models to study Black longevity is a newer and relatively untested approach.
Where this research is happening
Oakland, United States
- Digital Organizing Power-Building and Engagement Labs — Oakland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Akom, Antwi Aaron — Digital Organizing Power-Building and Engagement Labs
- Study coordinator: Akom, Antwi Aaron
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.