U-M researchers are seeking past survey participants, who can earn up to $150 for answering key questions about their health and well-being
RESEARCH TO WATCH
Twenty-five years after launching the nation's largest representative survey of Black Americans' health, University of Michigan researchers will reconnect with as many as 7,000 original participants to investigate aging, dementia risk and changes in their communities.
The follow-up to the National Survey of American Life (2001-03) will create a rare, decades-long longitudinal dataset, allowing researchers to examine how participants' health, communities and experiences have changed since the original interviews. They want to understand aging as a lifelong process and why Black Americans face a two-to-four-times higher risk of dementia compared to other groups.
"This research will provide the data we need to create policies, institutions and programs that benefit the American public," said Toni Antonucci, U-M professor of psychology and research scientist at the Institute for Social Research. "Our participants' shared experiences of life, health and community will become part of an incredible scientific resource."
The new wave adds cognitive testing, physical measurements and an optional blood draw to help researchers examine biological risk factors associated with dementia.
"Our goal is to understand how to reduce the burden of dementia in America," said Briana Mezuk, U-M professor of epidemiology and co-principal investigator. "To do that, we are focusing on a group that has elevated risk of this condition. If we can understand the factors that are driving this elevated risk, we can translate that into interventions that address them."
This initiative will begin in Michigan before expanding nationwide.
"As the study grows, one of its strengths is its multidisciplinary team," said Courtney Thomas Tobin, co-principal investigator and UCLA associate professor of community health sciences. "We bring together researchers from six institutions with expertise in epidemiology, psychology, sociology, community health, gerontology, neuroscience and community-based participatory research."
Researchers will mail letters to former National Survey of American Life participants during the last week of August. Interviewers will begin calling in September to schedule appointments.
Continuing James Jackson's research legacy
The late James S. Jackson, one of the nation's foremost social scientists, led the original NSAL. Jackson was a former director of both the Program for Research on Black Americans and U-M's Research Center for Group Dynamics, where the NSAL is housed. The study remains one of the most frequently cited datasets on the health of middle-aged and older Americans.
"The NSAL 25-year follow-up builds on Dr. Jackson's legacy of groundbreaking research, including his earlier National Survey of Black Americans launched in 1979 that provided the first representative view of Black America," said Deborah Robinson, ISR assistant research scientist and project director. "Many of the researchers involved in the current follow-up learned from and were inspired by his mentorship."
Previous research using NSAL data has examined how older adults seek help, how parental education affects children, how families and faith communities provide support, what we know about suicidal behaviors among teens, and what activities can help with depression.
"Hearing from these same survey participants after 25 years gives us a window into how life paths unfold, how challenges and opportunities shaped health, and how communities have changed over time," said NSAL postdoctoral fellow Eskira Kahsay. "Each participant brings experiences that cannot be replaced and together they reflect the lives of thousands of Black Americans across the country."
Researchers will reach out to past participants by phone and mail to invite them to join the follow-up study. They can earn up to $150 while helping answer key questions to improve Americans' health and well-being.
The NSAL is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, 1R01AG087121-01A1.
Written by Fernanda Pires, Michigan News, and Tevah Platt, Institute for Social Research
