Research shows that people have different experiences, opportunities, and challenges depending on their background and life circumstances. These factors can be important social and structural determinants of health (SSDoH) that may help explain heterogeneity in cognitive, functional, and interventional outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs). The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has set as a priority collecting SSDoH data. The Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) is working to routinely collect measures via a REDCap survey that asks questions about childhood, adulthood, and current living status. This information may help elucidate disease mechanisms and modifiers as well as aid discovery of disease modifying treatments that are effective across socioculturally diverse populations.
Establishing a Framework for Gathering Structural and Social Determinants of Health in Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (The Gerontologist)
From 5 to 95: The Impact of Life Experiences on Brain Health (Penn Memory Center)
Principle investigator: Shana Stites