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.
| Georgiopoulou, Vasiliki V; Kalogeropoulos, Andreas P; Chowdhury, Ritam et al. (2017) Exercise Capacity, Heart Failure Risk, and Mortality in Older Adults: The Health ABC Study. Am J Prev Med 52:144-153 |
| Albert, Steven M; Lunney, June R; Ye, Lei et al. (2017) Are Preferences for Aggressive Medical Treatment Associated with Healthcare Utilization in the Very Old? J Palliat Med : |
| Santanasto, Adam J; Goodpaster, Bret H; Kritchevsky, Stephen B et al. (2017) Body Composition Remodeling and Mortality: The Health Aging and Body Composition Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 72:513-519 |
| Metti, Andrea L; Rosano, Caterina; Boudreau, Robert et al. (2017) Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Genotype and Gait Speed Changes over 10 Years in Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 65:2016-2022 |
| Garimella, Pranav S; Katz, Ronit; Ix, Joachim H et al. (2017) Association of urinary uromodulin with kidney function decline and mortality: the health ABC study?. Clin Nephrol 87:278-286 |
| Murphy, Rachel A; Moore, Steven C; Playdon, Mary et al. (2017) Metabolites Associated With Lean Mass and Adiposity in Older Black Men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 72:1352-1359 |
| van der Meij, Barbara S; Wijnhoven, Hanneke A H; Lee, Jung S et al. (2017) Poor Appetite and Dietary Intake in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 65:2190-2197 |
| Wu, Chenkai; Shlipak, Michael G; Stawski, Robert S et al. (2017) Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability and Mortality and Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Older Adults: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. Am J Hypertens 30:151-158 |
| Harris, Tamara B (2017) Weight and Body Mass Index in Old Age: Do They Still Matter? J Am Geriatr Soc 65:1898-1899 |
| Espeland, Mark A; Crimmins, Eileen M; Grossardt, Brandon R et al. (2017) Clinical Trials Targeting Aging and Age-Related Multimorbidity. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 72:355-361 |
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