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Biological Underpinnings of Socioeconomic Differentials in Health and Mortality

Award Number: R01AG060110
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2018
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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Biological Underpinnings of Socioeconomic Differentials in Health and Mortality - Abstract This project will use a unique new data resource from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to elucidate multiple biological pathways through which life course social disadvantage “gets under the skin” and influences subsequent morbidity and mortality. We will examine the association between social adversity and multiple composite measures related to basic processes of biological aging including clinical indicators of physiological status, immune system functioning, telomere attrition, mitochondrial depletion, DNA methylation, and gene expression in order to understand the mechanisms through which those of low socioeconomic status (SES) “age” at a faster rate than persons with higher SES. The uniqueness of this project resides in the breadth and depth of the biological indicators which characterize some of the basic mechanisms of aging and have not been examined in a nationally representative population with ability to characterize SES differences. We expect that low socioeconomic status (SES), and related stressful life events, adverse psychological states, and poor health behaviors will be associated with worse physiological status, immunological functioning, methylation profile, adverse expression, more mitochondrial depletion, and shorter telomere length at a given chronological age. While low SES and accompanying life circumstances at any age are expected to be associated with late life biology, cumulative social disadvantage beginning in childhood and sustained throughout life is expected to have a multiplicative association in increasing adverse biological markers as we expect some biological processes to be more influenced by childhood circumstances and others by more current circumstances. We will examine the association of emotional, financial, and psychological costs of low SES in early and later life with biological outcomes and hypothesize that the effect of these different aspects of life will vary with timing and domain. We will also identify both genetic and social, psychological and environmental buffering factors that will reduce the association of low SES with adverse biological profiles. The outcome of this project will be the identification of a comprehensive-integrated set of measures that characterize the biological pathway from social adversity to poor health and “explain” at a biological level why socially disadvantaged individuals are at greater risk of aging-related morbidity and mortality outcomes. Identifying multiple social and biological mechanisms that influence the pace of aging will enhance our understanding of the underlying causes of health disparities and the lifecycle processes by which they arise. This work will increase substantially our understanding of how predisposing factors (cellular and molecular changes, deterioration in the immune function, and physiological characteristics) and precipitating factors (socioeconomic status, psychosocial and environmental stressors, and health behaviors) together influence age- related health conditions (age-related morbidity and mortality).


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = -$263 )
2026	2022	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Aging Research	000	5	12/9/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$263
														Subtotal = -$263

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2022	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Aging Research	000	5	6/26/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $550,108 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90007	LOS ANGELES	USA	Aging Research	000	5	7/18/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$550,108
														Subtotal = $550,108

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $550,108 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90007	LOS ANGELES	USA	Aging Research	000	4	6/17/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$550,108
														Subtotal = $550,108

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $550,108 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90007	LOS ANGELES	USA	Aging Research	000	3	7/9/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$550,108
														Subtotal = $550,108

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $432,131 )
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90007	LOS ANGELES	USA	Aging Research	000	2	7/22/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$432,131
														Subtotal = $432,131

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $471,089 )
2018	2018	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90007	LOS ANGELES	USA	Aging Research	000	1	8/17/2018	NEW	$471,089
														Subtotal = $471,089

Grand Total All Awards = $2,553,281

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Biological Underpinnings of Socioeconomic Differentials in Health and Mortality

Award Number: R01AG060110

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2018

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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