Opinions about Global Warming from an Aging Population
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alex Dahlen | Graduate Student Mentor: Kofi Agyabeng
The Aging in Risky Environmental Areas (AREA) Study is a novel cross-sectional dataset of community-dwelling adults in the U.S. ages 50 and older. A nationally representative sample of 1,504 participants was collected in November 2022. The survey examines several topics related to aging during the climate crisis including, recent climate-related disaster exposure; perspectives on climate adaptation and mitigation strategies; disaster resilience; and, various measures of healthy aging. The goal of the research project is to explore this dataset, to characterize the distribution of perspectives about climate change from this population, and to determine the key drivers of any variation in opinion.
The dataset: The AREA Study Survey was administered through the SSRS Opinion Panel among U.S. adults age 50 and older. The SSRS Opinion Panel members are recruited randomly based on nationally representative address-based sample design. The sample drawn was stratified by age, gender, race and ethnicity, education, Census region, and preferred survey language to ensure adequate representation of each demographic group. Data were collected between September 29 and November 2, 2022. A majority of surveys were conducted via web (N=1,409) with a smaller portion conducted over the telephone (N=95). Median web survey length was 22 minutes while phone was 46 minutes. Surveys were conducted in both English and Spanish. Panelists were screened at the start of the survey for ages 50 and above, and living within the United States. Panelists were provided verbal or written consent approved by NYU IRB prior to beginning the survey, and were compensated with a gift card upon completion of the survey. The survey completion rate was 39.3 percent. Data were weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 50 and older. The sampling error when using the weighted data is +/- 3.3 percentage points.
Is heart trouble a normal part of aging and differs across smoking status? A Case Study of Midlife in the United States
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Odemugwu | Graduate Student Mentor: Cindy Patippe
Heart trouble consists of various cardiovascular conditions affecting the heart, such as heart disease, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and arrhythmias. Heart and blood vessels change with age, possibly increasing the likelihood of developing heart trouble. It has been suggested that the risk of developing heart problems also differed across the smoking status and is higher among smokers over 65 years old. However, some studies have reported a noticeable increase in heart trouble among people less than 50 years old; there is an increased incidence of heart attack approximately every 40 seconds in the United States, and the risk is increased by smoking. To have a heart-healthy living, it is important to understand the risk factors and ways to manage them.
The primary purpose of this project is to reevaluate if heart trouble is a normal part of aging (that is: 'Is the likelihood of having heart trouble increase with age?') and whether the associations vary across smoking status. In the project, we will use a cross-sectional dataset (collected between 2014 and 2019) from a longitudinal study of the health and well-being of adults in their midlife in the United States. The Survey of Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) started in 1995/96 to investigate the role of behavioral, psychological, and social factors with age-related variations in the health and well-being of Americans. The dataset file for the project is MIDUS_III_PQAR_2025.csv, and you can find the descriptions of the variables in the codebook.
Aging and cognitive decline among WTC disaster exposed community members
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yongzhao Shao | Graduate Student Mentor: Liz Pirraglia
Abnormal aging or accelerated aging is a complex health disorder. Its complex etiology involves environmental exposures (e.g. air pollution), psychosocial stress (e.g. chronic depression), lifestyle factors (e.g. smoking and obesity), and interplays with other social determinants of health (SDoH) factors. The clinical manifestation of accelerated aging is heterogeneous including many age-related diseases like heart diseases, cancer, mental disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. Identification of risk factors that can affect the risk and acceleration of aging are of significant health significance in the aging population of US and many other countries. Moreover, quantification of risk factors in subpopulations at higher risk of accelerated aging due to environmental and related exposures can positively impact population health. In particular, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11, 2001 created an environmental disaster with the collapse of the WTC towers. Many local community members had substantial acute dust inhalation from the massive clouds created as the WTC buildings collapsed (WTC dust cloud), as well as chronic inhalation and topical exposure from re-suspended dust and fumes from the fires that burned for months. Exposed community members include local residents and local workers (including those who escaped the towers), students, and commuters passing by on September 11, 2001. Many witnessed death and destruction and feared their own death as they escaped collapsing buildings or were engulfed by blinding dust clouds. Many were displaced from homes and workplaces and/or witnessed prolonged rescue and recovery, with a chronic negative emotional and psychological stress. These community members are called WTC Survivors under the H.R.847—James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (Zadroga Act). We and others have described and reported adverse medical and mental health effects in this population include aerodigestive symptoms, cancers, neurologic disorders, cardiovascular disease] and mental health symptoms such as those that comprise posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression, as well as alcohol use disorders. The World Trade Center Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC), is a CDC/NIOSH designated clinical center of excellence for surveillance and treatment of WTC disaster exposed community members (WTC Survivors). Cognitive impairment (CI) has been extensively described in WTC responders and a concern for progressive impairment in all WTC disaster exposed groups has been raised. More than 20 years after 9/11 terrorist attack on WTC, majority of the WTC affected local workers and residents enrolled at WTC EHC are over 60 years old. It is of great interest to systematically investigate and quantify the association of accelerated aging with WTC exposure and related risk factors. This project is to use the WTC EHC database to investigate the association of cognitive status and other aging end point with WTC exposure and related risk factors.
Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Psychological Distress in New York City: Age Differences in Mental Health Protection
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brian Spitzer | Graduate Student Mentor: Danning Tian
Psychological well-being depends not just on individual traits but also on the environments people live in. Social cohesion, or the degree to which neighbors trust, support, and feel connected to one another, has been shown to protect against mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and stress (Ehsan & De Silva, 2015; Ahern et al., 2009). In cities like New York, where isolation, inequality, and neighborhood turnover are common, cohesion might play a particularly important role. Prior studies suggest that strong neighborhood ties can buffer stress and promote well-being, especially in older adults who may rely more on local connections as their mobility and social networks shift with age (Choi et al., 2021; Stafford et al., 2011). Still, there’s little recent research that tests these patterns in large, urban U.S. samples using validated psychometric measures.
This project uses the 2020 NYC Community Health Survey, a large public dataset that includes the six-item Kessler scale (K6) for psychological distress and five questions on neighborhood cohesion. Students will construct a social cohesion scale, evaluate its internal consistency and factor structure, and test its validity. The central question is whether higher neighborhood cohesion is linked to lower psychological distress, and whether this protective effect is stronger in older adults. Students will apply core tools from psychometrics and regression modeling and practice analyzing real-world health data through a public health and aging lens.