MyGoals for Healthy Aging
Official title: The MyGoals for Healthy Aging Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11098498 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether combining employment incentives with coaching for low-income adults can slow age-related health decline and lower risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $465,523 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG073402-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11098498 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are low-income adults facing unemployment or unstable work, especially middle-aged or older people at higher risk for cognitive decline.
✕Less likely to help
People who already have stable employment and adequate resources, or those with advanced dementia who cannot participate in coaching, are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
You would join a multi-center program that offers proven employment incentives to reduce poverty and one-on-one coaching to strengthen planning and problem-solving skills. Participants are randomly assigned to receive the extra supports or usual services, and the team will follow people over several years to track health, thinking skills, and aging-related problems. The research builds on an existing MyGoals employment trial but adds more intervention time and longer medical follow-up to look for changes in diabetes, weight, brain health, and dementia risk. Data will come from interviews, health measures, and routine medical records collected at participating sites.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help slow biological aging and reduce Alzheimer's risk by improving economic stability and cognitive functioning in low-income adults.
How similar studies have gone: Related MyGoals programs have improved employment and executive function, but using these approaches specifically to slow aging and reduce Alzheimer's risk is novel and unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Belsky, Daniel Walker — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Belsky, Daniel Walker
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
MyGoals for Healthy Aging among people at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia
A multi-center trial tests whether a combined program addressing poverty-related stress and executive function can slow aging and reduce risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease in adults.
-
MyGoals for Healthy Aging: A Multi-Center Trial to Help Older Adults
A multi-center study tests ways to slow aging and help people with Alzheimer’s-related dementia by reducing poverty-related stress and improving daily functioning.
-
MyGoals Healthy Aging program
This program offers extended employment supports and coaching to help low-income older adults slow aging and lower their risk of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
-
MyGoals for Healthy Aging
This project tests whether giving low-income adults employment incentives plus coaching to improve thinking skills can slow age-related health problems linked to Alzheimer's disease.
-
Healthy aging in Black adults and its links to dementia risk
This grant follows a large group of Black adults to understand how aging, brain health, and life experiences influence Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
-
How early-life spending shape aging and dementia risk later in life
A Stanford-led study looks at how state and county spending in childhood may influence midlife thinking skills and the risk of dementia in later life.
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.