How segregated neighborhoods speed up biological aging in Black adults
Residential Segregation and Physiological Dysregulation among Black CARDIA participants: A Longitudinal Study
This project looks at whether living in racially segregated neighborhoods is linked to faster biological aging among Black adults in the CARDIA cohort.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11111401 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a Black adult who joined the CARDIA study, researchers will use your long-term health and neighborhood information to see whether neighborhood segregation relates to faster 'biological aging' measured by clinical markers. The team will analyze decades of clinical data and neighborhood measures to track age-acceleration across adulthood. They will also study neighborhood features (such as resources, environmental exposures, and stressors) that might explain any links and focus on pathways that could be changed. Findings are intended to point to community or policy actions that might slow harmful aging tied to segregation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Black adults who are current or former CARDIA participants with available clinical biomarker data and neighborhood history.
Not a fit: People who are not Black, not part of the CARDIA cohort, or without neighborhood or clinical data are unlikely to be invited or to directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show that improving neighborhood conditions can reduce stress-related aging and help narrow racial health disparities.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has linked residential segregation to worse health and stress-related biomarkers, but using long-term clinical-marker based measures of age acceleration across adulthood is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Worcester, United States
- Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester — Worcester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Forrester, Sarah N — Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
- Study coordinator: Forrester, Sarah N
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.