Social life, health, and aging in older adults
Official title: National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project: Rounds 4.2 and 4.4
Funded at National Opinion Research Center · NIH-11318937 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows older Americans to learn how social life, activity, thinking skills, and health relate to risk and course of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | National Opinion Research Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2013 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $3,318,183 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG043538-14 |
| Project ID | NIH-11318937 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are U.S. adults in the NSHAP cohort aged about 60–100, especially those flagged as higher risk for rapid health decline or dementia, and Black and Hispanic respondents who are included regardless of age.
✕Less likely to help
People under the NSHAP age range, those living outside the U.S., or anyone seeking a treatment or cure are unlikely to get direct clinical benefit from participating in this observational project.
What this research studies
You would be part of a long-term, national group of adults first enrolled in 2005–06 who provide information every few years about social relationships, mood, thinking, medical diagnoses, medicines, and daily activity. The project collects blood or other biological samples for research, uses wrist-worn accelerometers to measure sleep and movement, and conducts cognitive and health interviews. For people identified as higher risk of rapid decline, the team will do follow-up every two years rather than every five years, and they will include all Black and Hispanic participants regardless of age or health. Participation mostly involves interviews, brief tests, wearable activity monitoring, and occasional sample collection over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify early changes and social or activity patterns linked to faster cognitive decline so clinicians and families can offer support sooner.
How similar studies have gone: Long-running national cohorts like NSHAP and the Health and Retirement Study have produced important findings on aging and dementia, and this project builds on those proven methods by increasing follow-up for higher-risk participants.
Where this research is happening
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National Opinion Research Center
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Waite, Linda J — National Opinion Research Center
- Study coordinator: Waite, Linda J
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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.