The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study (Health ABC) is a longitudinal cohort of 3,075 men and women, aged 70-79 at baseline in 1997-98, and includes 552 African American men and 729 African American women. At baseline, all cohort members reported no difficulty walking 1/4 mile or up ten steps. The study sites are Memphis, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The study was designed to investigate how changes in body composition (muscle, fat, and bone) act as a common pathway through which weight-related health conditions and behavioral factors contribute to loss of function. Race and gender differences and similarities over the 16 years of the study have been key to understanding health trajectories as the cohort has aged. The study measurements include weight-related health conditions such as diabetes and metabolic disorders, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis of the knee, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and depression. Body composition was repeatedly measured with both dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and computerized tomography. We also assessed muscle strength, and physical function, as well as an extensive set of biomarkers. The major outcome of the study is persistent difficulty walking 1/4 mile or stair climbing reported over a 6-month period. Other outcomes include cardiovascular events, cancers, fractures, dementia, diabetes, hospitalizations, and deaths. The study has 17 years of follow-up through clinical exams and telephone follow-up interviews. A capstone clinic examination started in year 16 for surviving cohort members. The year 16 exams in Pittsburgh were conducted in a subset who were eligible for a muscle-tissue biopsy. Memphis capstone exams included the standard measures from earlier clinic exams. Home visits at year 16 were also done in Memphis. All year 16 exams have added activity monitoring via accelerometers on the wrist and hip to objectively track the everyday activity level (or inactivity level) of participants over 7 days in a free-living environment. Numerous grant-funded ancillary studies have been added by extramural investigators to enhance the interdisciplinary contribution of Health ABC to the research community.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Investigator-Initiated Intramural Research Projects (ZIA)
Project #
1ZIAAG007390-10
Application #
9147417
Study Section
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Aging
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
Zip Code
Contrera, Kevin J; Betz, Josh; Deal, Jennifer et al. (2017) Association of Hearing Impairment and Anxiety in Older Adults. J Aging Health 29:172-184
Cruz-Almeida, Yenisel; Rosso, Andrea; Marcum, Zachary et al. (2017) Associations of Musculoskeletal Pain With Mobility in Older Adults: Potential Cerebral Mechanisms. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 72:1270-1276
Cooper, Rachel; Huang, Lei; Hardy, Rebecca et al. (2017) Obesity History and Daily Patterns of Physical Activity at Age 60-64 Years: Findings From the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 72:1424-1430
Deal, Jennifer A; Betz, Josh; Yaffe, Kristine et al. (2017) Hearing Impairment and Incident Dementia and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: The Health ABC Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 72:703-709
Dong, Jing; Pinto, Jayant M; Guo, Xuguang et al. (2017) The Prevalence of Anosmia and Associated Factors Among U.S. Black and White Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci :
Houston, Denise K; Tooze, Janet A; Garcia, Katelyn et al. (2017) Protein Intake and Mobility Limitation in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: the Health ABC Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 65:1705-1711
Marques, Elisa A; Figueiredo, Pedro; Harris, Tamara B et al. (2017) Are resistance and aerobic exercise training equally effective at improving knee muscle strength and balance in older women? Arch Gerontol Geriatr 68:106-112
Roshanravan, Baback; Patel, Kushang V; Fried, Linda F et al. (2017) Association of Muscle Endurance, Fatigability, and Strength With Functional Limitation and Mortality in the Health Aging and Body Composition Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 72:284-291
Suskind, Anne M; Cawthon, Peggy M; Nakagawa, Sanae et al. (2017) Urinary Incontinence in Older Women: The Role of Body Composition and Muscle Strength: From the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 65:42-50
Rosso, Andrea L; Verghese, Joe; Metti, Andrea L et al. (2017) Slowing gait and risk for cognitive impairment: The hippocampus as a shared neural substrate. Neurology 89:336-342

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