Creation of the Einstein Aging Study Data Warehouse

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Einstein Aging Study (EAS) program project (NIH NIA: P01 AG03949) is a longitudinal study of the natural history of aging and the onset of dementia in a diverse community-based sample in Bronx, New York. We propose to archive the EAS dataset at the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), in order to make this rich and unique data set available for public use. This will facilitate investigations into th aging process that are beyond the scope of our funded studies. The EAS has systematically recruited and followed a community-based, multi-racial cohort (n=2014, ages >=70) for more than 20 years. EAS participants have been comprehensively characterized via extensive evaluations at baseline and annually thereafter, with an average follow-up time of 4.0 years (range, 1-17 years). Data from the EAS have demonstrated strong links among cognitive, locomotor, and mortality outcomes in the elderly and have been used to identify novel biological and psychosocial risk factors that contribute to these outcomes. The EAS cohort is broadly representative of the elderly population of the Bronx, one of the most demographically diverse counties in the United States. Since 2003, the EAS has complied with the NIH data sharing mandate. Many of the data sharing requests has been part of multiple NIH collaborative studies. To date, however, the analytic focus of these pooled analyses has been limited to the discreet subset of EAS variables related to Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline, with the result that much of the extensive EAS data resource remains underexploited. The proposed Data Archiving project will permit us to build on the extant database in two essential ways: (1) to capture and preserve the wide range of variables assessed in our cohort during the years 1993-2003 (prior to the date of the Mandatory Data Sharing Policy put forth by the NIH (October 1, 2003)). This includes harmonizing previously un-archived data with the current EAS database; and (2) to expand the database to include the host of behavioral, biological and psychosocial measures, not part of the primary EAS program project, that have been funded from pilot projects, foundation grants, and affiliated NIH R01s. Creating and documenting new summary measures and standard formats will be part of the process. The central aims of this proposal are to archive and preserve an expanded EAS data base in order to facilitate efficient and cost effective use of the extensive scientific resources from our long-standing and well-characterized cohort. The proposed collaboration with NACDA will ensure our capacity for wide-spread dissemination of high quality data to the national and international aging research communities.