Reducing deaths among middle-aged adults by improving local communities and policies
Addressing the Midlife Mortality Crisis: Place-Based Modeling, Trend Analysis and Policy Interventions
This project looks at how neighborhood-level factors and local policies relate to rising deaths in middle-aged adults using block-, tract-, and zip-level data from 1990–2021.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boulder, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11240279 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a middle-aged adult, researchers will build a detailed database linking cause-specific deaths to neighborhood demographics, business and economic trends, and local conditions. They will map where and when deaths from suicide, cardiometabolic disease, drug or alcohol misuse, and related infections have risen, using spatial analysis and time-series methods. The team will create small-area risk trajectories to find local hot spots and patterns over time. Findings will be used to suggest place-based policy changes that might reduce premature deaths in affected communities.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The primary focus is on middle-aged adults (typically midlife ages) living in U.S. states or counties where block-, tract-, or zip-level mortality and contextual data are available.
Not a fit: People who are younger than midlife, live outside the studied areas, or whose health risks are driven mostly by non-place-based factors (e.g., rare genetic diseases) are less likely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: The work could help target local policies and services to reduce premature deaths from suicide, overdose, and cardiometabolic disease among middle-aged adults.
How similar studies have performed: Previous population and spatial analyses have identified local patterns linked to rising midlife deaths, but turning those findings into effective local policies has been difficult and remains an active area of work.
Where this research is happening
Boulder, UNITED STATES
- University of Colorado — Boulder, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gutmann, Myron P. — University of Colorado
- Study coordinator: Gutmann, Myron P.
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.