Appalachian Gerontology Experiences - Advancing Diversity in Aging Research

阿巴拉契亚老年学经验：推进老龄化研究的多样性 （AGE-ADAR） 具体目标 阿巴拉契亚是一个主要的农村地区，有2500万美国人居住。该地区 包括整个西弗吉尼亚州和其他12个州的部分地区。相对于美国其他地区 美国西阿巴拉契亚阿巴拉契亚崎岖多山， 医疗和心理社会服务的障碍。该地区的居民也生活在较低的 年收入、更高的贫困率、更高的失业率以及更高的发病率和死亡率 比全国其他地区（阿巴拉契亚地区委员会，2017年）。因此，它是一个区域 以健康状况的巨大差异为特征。 健康差距在阿巴拉契亚的农村地区更为明显， 健康行为、个人资源和宏观环境影响的结果。虽然 居住在农村的成年人有许多与其他环境中的成年人相同的需求， 都是农村特有的问题因此，正如我们在其他地方所争论的那样，衰老是 在农村地区更难（哈希，Jurkowski，& Krout，2015）。对于许多阿巴拉契亚居民来说， 是一种强烈的地方认同感，对“局外人”的历史不信任，他们往往缺乏 文化能力，以解决阿巴拉契亚文化的细微差别和复杂性。因此，在本发明中， 我们需要的是一批精通以下知识的卫生专业人员和研究人员 老龄化科学，健康差异科学，以及阿巴拉契亚文化。与 最后，我们提出了一个高度脚手架的教育经验，以增加兴趣和多样性， 在阿巴拉契亚的老龄化和健康差异的研究人员中。 该项目的总体目标与NIA的目标相一致，以增加对 减少健康差距，增加历来代表性不足的人的代表性 老龄化和健康差距研究领域的学者。为了实现这些目标， 拟议的教育计划将提供：重点教育内容的研究 方法，老龄化，健康差距，阿巴拉契亚和其他农村地区。该计划将 包括结构化的，实践的研究经验和指导的研究经验。我们 将培养对应用/转化研究和社区为基础的赞赏 传播，从而提高该地区的卫生知识和科学知识。 总之，这些经验将使学者们准备注入一种健康的老龄化方法， 他们的工作。具体而言，拟议方案将： 1.提供与文化和区域相关的教育内容， 差距，阿巴拉契亚和其他农村地区; 2.深入介绍研究方法，包括至少完成 一个结构化的小组研究经验集中在健康差距和第二个 指导，健康相关的老龄化研究经验与教师赞助商在 学生的家庭纪律; 3.创建并加强作为老龄化和健康差异研究人员的身份， 将有助于老龄化研究的劳动力; 4.指导学生科学写作和专业发展;以及 5.通过广泛传播科学和卫生知识， 研究结果。

Appalachian Gerontology Experiences: Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (AGE-ADAR) Specific Aims Appalachia is a predominantly rural area in which 25 million Americans reside. The region includes all of West Virginia and portions of 12 other states. Relative to the rest of the United States, West Virginian Appalachia is rugged and mountainous, which creates geographic barriers to medical and psychosocial services. Residents of the region also live with lower annual incomes, higher poverty, higher unemployment, and higher morbidity and mortality rates than other areas of the nation (Appalachian Regional Commission, 2017). Thus, it is a region marked by significant health disparities. Health disparities are more pronounced in the rural areas of Appalachia and are a complex result of health behaviors, personal resources, and macro-environmental influences. Although rural-dwelling adults have many of the same needs as adults aging in other environments, there are unique issues presented by a rural context. Thus, as we have argued elsewhere, aging is harder in rural areas (Hash, Jurkowski, & Krout, 2015). For many Appalachian residents, there is a strong sense of place-identity, with an historical mistrust of “outsiders” who often lack the cultural competence to address the nuances and complexities of Appalachian culture. Thus, what is needed is a cadre of health professionals and researchers who are well-versed in the science of aging, the science of health disparities, and the culture of Appalachia. To that end, we propose a highly-scaffolded education experience to increase interest in and diversity among researchers in aging and health disparities in Appalachia. The overarching goals of this project align with the goals of the NIA to increase interest in reducing health disparities and increasing the representation of historically underrepresented scholars in the fields of aging and health disparities research. To accomplish these goals, the proposed educational program would provide: focused educational content on research methods, aging, health disparities, Appalachia and other rural areas. The program would include structured, hands-on research experiences and mentored research experiences. We would nurture an appreciation for applied/translational research and community-based dissemination, thus increasing the health literacy and scientific literacy in the region. Together, these experiences would prepare scholars to infuse a healthy aging approach to their work. Specifically, the proposed program would: 1. provide culturally- and regionally-relevant educational content on aging, health disparities, Appalachia and other rural areas; 2. provide an intensive introduction to research methods, including completion of at least one structured group research experience focused on health disparities and a second mentored, health-related aging research experience with a faculty sponsor in the student's home discipline; 3. create and reinforce an identity of being an aging and health disparities researcher who will contribute to the research workforce in aging; 4. coach students on scientific writing and professional development; and 5. increase scientific and health literacy in the community through broad dissemination of research findings.