How Neighborhoods Affect Aging and Health Risks
Examining Influences of Place-Based Long-Term and Contemporary Neighborhood Factors on Aging-Related Disease Risk Trajectories: Leveraging the HANDLS Dataset
This work explores how where you live, both in the past and present, shapes your health as you get older, especially for conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Piscataway, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11179116 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We are looking at how different aspects of your neighborhood, such as transportation, access to health services, and walkability, influence how your brain and body age. We want to understand if living in a less 'age-friendly' neighborhood might lead to earlier memory problems, difficulty with daily activities, or increased frailty. By using existing health data, we hope to uncover the connections between your environment and your long-term health, helping us find ways to support healthy aging for everyone.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This work uses existing data from adults aged 21 and older who have participated in the HANDLS dataset, focusing on factors related to cardiometabolic disease and aging.
Not a fit: Patients not included in the existing HANDLS dataset or those without cardiometabolic disease or aging-related concerns may not directly benefit from this specific analysis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help communities create better environments that support healthy aging and reduce the risk of age-related diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
How similar studies have performed: While the idea that neighborhood environments affect health is recognized, this work aims to specifically detail the long-term and contemporary influences on aging-related disease risk trajectories using a comprehensive dataset.
Where this research is happening
Piscataway, United States
- Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j. — Piscataway, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beatty Moody, Danielle Lathel — Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j.
- Study coordinator: Beatty Moody, Danielle Lathel
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.