Social Life, Health, and Aging — Round 5
Official title: National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project: Round 5
Funded at National Opinion Research Center · NIH-11325830 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows adults ages 47 to 107 to learn how social connections, thinking skills, and physical health change as people get older.
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 15, 2014 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $18,912,406 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG048511-13 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325830 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are U.S. adults roughly 47–107 years old who are willing to do interviews, brief cognitive and physical tests, and provide basic health information and samples.
✕Less likely to help
People younger than about 47, living outside the United States, or unwilling to complete interviews, wear an accelerometer, or give samples would not be eligible or likely to benefit.
What this research studies
You would be asked to take part in interviews and questionnaires about your social relationships, mood, daily activities, and medical history. The team collects cognitive tests, physical performance measures, medication lists, biological samples, and wrist-worn accelerometer data to measure activity and sleep. NSHAP combines repeated visits for long-term participants with a newly recruited younger cohort so researchers can compare different generations. Data were collected nationwide and include special questions about experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could help shape programs, supports, and care strategies that protect thinking and physical function as people age.
How similar studies have gone: NSHAP and other long-running national aging studies have successfully linked social, behavioral, and biological factors to dementia risk and healthy aging, so the approach is well-established.
Where this research is happening
-
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.