Understanding the Aging Process of Urban African Americans Across the Life Course: Identifying Early Risk and Protection for Cognition and Health in Midlife

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Black Americans experience disproportionate poor aging outcomes, including pronounced disparities in brain health (e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease), significant social isolation, and nearly twice the mortality rate compared to Whites. Although it is purported that these adverse health outcomes are due to a combination of greater adversity over the life course and unhealthy coping behaviors, few studies have prospectively examined these aspects of the lives of Blacks from childhood into the 60s. This developmental epidemiological study focuses on life course pathways to successful aging in a large community cohort of urban Blacks first studied at age 6, then in adolescence, and at ages 32 and 42. The proposed fifth round of data collection at age 60 is crucial for examining individual and contextual life course trajectories affecting the aging experience. The specific aims are to: (1) identify the array of aging experiences for the Woodlawn cohort of Blacks at age 60 using indicators of cognitive, physical, functional, social, and mental health, (2) determine specific stressors across the life course that influence aging, and (3) identify specific and malleable protective factors across the life course that promote physical, mental, cognitive and social well-being for urban Blacks. This comprehensive study has followed nearly all children entering first grade in 1966 in Woodlawn, a poor Chicago community (N=1242). We have collected information from mothers, teachers, and official school, criminal, and death records as well as data from cohort members themselves and now have an invaluable opportunity to examine well being comprehensively over the life course for an underinvestigated population. This one-of-a-kind study spanning more than 50 years will allow in-depth exploration of both normative development and deviance, challenging assumptions of Black homogeneity and reframing the current deficit conceptualization, to focus instead on pathways to successful aging, cognitive functioning, and health. Guided by the life course perspective and stress theory, the experienced, uniquely qualified research team will employ advanced locating technology and sophisticated analytical approaches tailored to longitudinal research. This research will contribute to understanding life course influences on aging in urban Blacks. Our long-term goal is to inform intervention development and policy making by identifying critical pivotal influences along the life course that alter aging trajectories and improve health outcomes. In addition, this study will produce a dataset that can be used by us and others for many years to identify complex patterns, subgroup differences, indirect pathways and targets for early intervention that are critical to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for at-risk urban Blacks. This work aligns with NIA’s strategic direction, which aims to (1) better understand the effects of personal, interpersonal, and societal factors on later life cognitive impairment (e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia) and aging, (2) understand health disparities, and (3) develop strategies to improve the health status of older adults in diverse populations.