R01AG074351

Occupational Transitions Across the Lifecourse and Dementia Risk: Evaluating Unemployment, Occupational Complexity Using Sequence Analysis - Project Abstract

Dementia is typically diagnosed in late life; however, the disease process begins decades earlier. Mid-life experiences, such as work, are important modifiable predictors of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD). Work plays a central role in the lives of American adults, but the relationship between work, unemployment, and ADRD across the lifecourse has been understudied.

This proposal aims to advance the current literature on how occupations influence dementia risk in the United States in two ways. Firstly, little research evaluates the age at which someone has a particular job, job duration, or changes in work experiences across working years, despite people working from approximately ages 18-65. Secondly, occupational classification systems used by population-based datasets have changed to reflect the transition from a manufacturing to an information and service-based economy. However, the physical, environmental, and cognitive characteristics of work have not been systematically applied to these shifting occupational classification systems.

In this proposal, we will evaluate lifecourse work trajectories and ADRD risk through novel applications of sequence analysis. Additionally, we will construct a longitudinal database of physical, environmental, and cognitive demands of work to catalyze research on lifecourse work trajectories and ADRD risk. To accomplish this, we will leverage the strengths of three large, longitudinal U.S. cohorts: the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 Cohort (NLSY), the Panel Study of Income Dynamic (PSID), and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Our research team has previously published using sequence analysis and has previously used all three datasets, demonstrating the feasibility of our proposed project.

Work is a modifiable social risk factor that spans decades. A better understanding of work trajectories and features will help identify employment interventions to slow cognitive decline and reduce ADRD disparities.

Washington University

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]

Saint Louis, Missouri 63130 United States

Single Zip Code

Change of Recipient Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional) (PA-24-254)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 369% from $833,814 to $3,910,691.