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How do Extreme Environmental Events Impact Cognitive Health among Older Adults?

Investigators:

Drs. Jessica Finlay, Yue Sun, and Michael Esposito

Funding:

NIH/NIA R00AG075152, NIH/NIA P30AG066613, and NIH/NICHD P2CHD066613

Data sources:

Spatial coverage:

The United States

Temporal coverage:

2000-2022

Measures:

  • Health Measures: Cognitive function, physical activity, sleep, sitting time, smoking, drinking, weight loss/gain, appetite loss/increase, depression, anxiety, social isolation, loneliness
  • Individual and area-level sociodemographic measures:
    • Age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, and rural-urban residency
    • Population density, population living below the poverty line, proportion of non-Hispanic Black residents, proportion of owner-occupied housing units
  • Climate Measures: Extreme environmental events (e.g., floods, hurricanes, wildfires)
  • Neighborhood Environment Measures: Parks, recreation centers, eateries, grocery stores and markets, stores, civic and social organizations, religious organizations, arts and cultural sites, libraries, and educational sites

Project Summary:

In an era of ever-increasing climate hazards, it is critical to understand how extreme environmental events such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes may increase risk for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). This project examines how extreme environmental events are associated with cognitive health among older Americans. Beyond direct biological risks such as pollution exposures, extreme events also disrupt daily routines and community networks to pose dementia risks through social and behavioral pathways. Moreover, the effects of extreme events on cognitive health and related health behaviors may vary person and place-based characteristics such as income, race/ethnicity, rurality, and social infrastructure sites (e.g., libraries, community centers, civic/social organizations) that provide support, connection, and informal care.

We will investigate cognitive trajectories following exposure to an extreme event, as well as relevant behaviors that support brain health such as exercise, diet, smoking, and stress.

                  This project will use the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS) combined with built and natural environmental data to address these research questions. Specifically, it links HRS participants to extreme environmental events from the FEMA National Risk Index and the Spatial Hazards Events and Losses Database, as well as built environmental data from the National Neighborhood Data Archive. Findings will advance understanding of how extreme events may impact cognitive health in later life, as well as person-place variations in these associations. This project will inform community interventions and targeted programs to support individual and community recovery and long-term health following an extreme environmental event.

Comments:

The HRS contains detailed longitudinal measures of cognitive health. It is therefore a robust data source to examine trajectories of cognitive health over time. A restricted HRS data agreement is required to access the geographic information of respondents at the state, county, and Census tract level.

Table 1. Core Variables from the Health and Retirement Study

On the creation of the weather variables:

FEMA National Risk Index data are provided at the census tract level. This index covers 18 specific hazard types: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, and winter weather. The database has both overall risk index for all hazard types and risk indices for individual hazards. We will use numerical scores of overall index and individual indices directly.

Spatial Hazards Events and Losses Database data are at the county level. It covers the same hazards as FEMA National Risk Index. We will use some measures, including count of people killed, count of people injured, and damage to property in adjusted U.S. dollars.

Outputs:

Peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, grant proposals