Why middle-aged people are dying more in some U.S. places
Official title: Geographic Trends And Disparities In Psychosocial Wellbeing, Health Behaviors, And Mortality In Midlife
Funded at Syracuse University · NIH-11321537 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether state and county policies and local economic conditions relate to rising deaths and risky behaviors among middle-aged adults across the United States.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Syracuse University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Syracuse, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $357,046 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG082699-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11321537 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The focus is on adults in midlife (roughly ages 35–64) living in U.S. counties, especially in Midwestern, Southern, rural, and small-city areas.
✕Less likely to help
Young people, children, people outside the United States, or individuals seeking immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to see direct benefits from this population-level research.
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers are linking state laws, county economic data, death records, and health surveys to see where and why deaths among middle-aged adults are increasing. They will focus on causes that drive the trend—suicide, drug overdose, alcohol-related deaths, and cardiometabolic diseases—and compare regions like the Midwest, South, rural areas, and small cities. The team will analyze how state policies and county conditions act together, rather than looking at each separately. The goal is to identify community and policy factors that could be changed to help reduce these deaths.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could guide state and local policies and community programs to lower suicide, overdose, alcohol-related, and heart-related deaths in middle-aged adults.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has shown rising midlife mortality and geographic patterns tied to economic distress and policy differences, but this study's combined state-and-county approach adds new analysis to unresolved questions.
Where this research is happening
-
Syracuse University
Syracuse, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Montez, Jennifer Karas — Syracuse University
- Study coordinator: Montez, Jennifer Karas
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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.