How where teens live and go about life affects stress and health
Official title: Activity Space Exposures, Safety and Physiological Stress, and their Consequences for Adolescent Health
Funded at Ohio State University · NIH-11381598 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how everyday spaces and feelings of safety influence stress hormones and health in adolescents.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ohio State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $653,962 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD113259-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11381598 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adolescents aged roughly 12–20 (with emphasis on early to late adolescence) residing in the Columbus, OH metro area and their caregivers.
✕Less likely to help
Adolescents outside the Columbus area or not willing to participate in longitudinal data collection may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Ohio State University will track teens in Columbus to see how their daily activity spaces—where they go, who they’re with, levels of neighborhood violence, and feelings of belonging—shape real-time stress and later health outcomes. The study uses surveys, contextual data, and biological markers like cortisol and inflammation to understand stress in adolescence. A first phase creates a broad picture in about 700 youths and caregivers, combining self-reported activity locations with community data, then a six-month intensive follow-up in a subset to look at dynamic patterns. The goal is to link everyday environments to mental health and substance use, informing interventions to promote safer, healthier adolescent development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform programs and policies to improve adolescent environments and reduce stress-related health risks.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has linked neighborhood factors and stress to health, but this project adds real-time exposure measures and a longitudinal design to deepen understanding.
Where this research is happening
-
Ohio State University
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Browning, Christopher R — Ohio State University
- Study coordinator: Browning, Christopher R
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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.