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

项目摘要/摘要 美国黑人经历了不成比例的不良衰老结果，包括明显的大脑差异 健康(例如阿尔茨海默病)，严重的社会孤立，死亡率几乎是 白色的。尽管据称这些不利的健康后果是由于更大的 生活中的逆境和不健康的应对行为，很少有研究前瞻性地检验这些 从童年到60年代黑人生活的方方面面。这项发育性流行病学研究侧重于 在6岁时首次研究的一大群城市黑人的成功老龄化的人生道路上， 然后是青春期，32岁和42岁。拟议的第五轮数据收集在60岁时对 考察影响衰老体验的个体和背景的生命历程轨迹。具体目标 是：(1)使用指标确定伍德劳恩黑人队列60岁时的一系列老龄化经历 认知、身体、功能、社交和心理健康，(2)决定生活中特定的压力源 影响衰老的过程，以及(3)确定生命过程中特定的和可延展性的保护因素 促进城市黑人的身体、心理、认知和社会福祉。这项全面的研究已经 1966年，在芝加哥一个贫穷的社区伍德劳恩，跟踪调查了几乎所有一年级的孩子(N=1242)。我们 从母亲、教师和官方学校、犯罪和死亡记录以及 来自队列成员自己的数据，现在有了一个宝贵的机会来检查幸福感 对未充分调查的人口的整个生命过程进行全面调查。这项独一无二的研究跨越了 超过50年的时间将允许深入探索规范发展和越轨，具有挑战性 布莱克同质性的假设和重新构建当前的赤字概念化，转而关注 成功衰老、认知功能和健康的途径。以生命历程观为指导， 强调理论，经验丰富、唯一合格的研究团队将采用先进的定位技术和 为纵向研究量身定做的复杂分析方法。这项研究将有助于 了解生命过程对城市黑人衰老的影响。我们的长期目标是告知干预措施 通过确定改变衰老的生命过程中的关键影响来实现发展和政策制定 发展轨迹和改善健康结果。此外，这项研究将产生一个可供我们使用的数据集 和其他人多年来确定复杂的模式、亚组差异、间接途径和目标 早期干预对于减少健康差距和改善高危城市的健康结果至关重要 黑人。这项工作与NIA的战略方向一致，其目的是(1)更好地了解 个人、人际和社会因素对晚年认知障碍的影响(例如，阿尔茨海默病、 (2)了解健康差距，以及(3)制定改善健康状况的策略 不同人群中的老年人。

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.