R01AG069609

The impact of environmental stressors on chronic disease disparities in women - Project Summary

The overall objective of this project is to determine the impact of social stressors on epigenetic age acceleration and chronic health disparities and to test whether the social environment, individual health behaviors, and race/geography/SES modify or mediate the association between traumatic stress and health (disparities), directly or indirectly through biologic age acceleration. We expect that the trauma burden will impact chronic diseases through DNA methylation (DNAm) age acceleration.

The WATCH cohort is an important, highly trauma-exposed sample of women uniquely poised for a third wave of data collection that continues assessing trauma exposure, depression, PTSD, social context, physical health, and collection of an additional blood specimen eight years after the baseline to examine DNAm age.

Aim 1 will investigate disparities in psychological health (PTSD, depression), physical health (diabetes, hypertension, and cancer), and DNAm age acceleration as women age, particularly as influenced by cumulative trauma burden.

Aim 2 will examine the influences of contextual variables, including social capital and financial strain, that may mediate or moderate the effects of cumulative trauma burden on adverse psychological and physical health outcomes.

Aim 3 will explore the mediating effects of DNAm age acceleration on physical and mental health outcomes.

The proposed study will use the WATCH cohort of 2800 women exposed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in coastal Louisiana in 2010. It will entail the third wave of data and biospecimen collection and incorporate data already gathered through two previous waves of data collection.

Self-reported health data on demographic, income and financial stressors, oil spill exposure, neighborhood context, social capital, health behaviors, trauma history, psychological symptoms, and physical health will be collected through telephone interviews. Repeat blood samples will be collected from up to 1058 women with baseline samples.

Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska

TO ENCOURAGE BIOMEDICAL, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING DIRECTED TOWARD GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS AND THE DISEASES, SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS OF PEOPLE AS THEY AGE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HAS ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO PURSUE THESE GOALS. THE DIVISION OF AGING BIOLOGY EMPHASIZES UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF AGING. THE DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AND CLINICAL GERONTOLOGY SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE ABILITIES OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS TO RESPOND TO THE DISEASES AND OTHER CLINICAL PROBLEMS OF OLDER PEOPLE. THE DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BOTH THE PROCESS OF GROWING OLD AND THE PLACE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE FOSTERS RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RELATED SENSORY, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND HAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

Omaha, Nebraska 681985805 United States

Single Zip Code

Social Epigenomics Research Focused on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01-Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-19-372)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 380% from $634,196 to $3,043,678.