# Predicting cognitive function: Biomarkers and economics in a rural aged cohort

> **NIH NIH R15** · IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $227,598

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Older adults are one of the populations most vulnerable to COVID-19. The unprecedented economic
disruption and social isolation caused by the pandemic may disproportionately cause long-lasting and
potentially irreversible negative impacts to this at-risk group. The proposed research will focus on
economic circumstances and social behaviors that affect the health and welfare of over 800 older adult
participants and their ~400 middle-aged adult children. We will utilize the Family Transitions Project, that
originally began as a study of the rural family response to the severe recession in the agricultural economy
in the U.S. during the 1980s and continues to this day. Thus, we are uniquely positioned to examine the
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals and families in the context of over 30 years of
accumulated prospective data. The proposed work will assess how COVID-19-associated changes in
economic and social circumstances impact the health and welfare of individuals across two generations
of families. We propose to examine individual and family adjustment to economic circumstances and
stressors that are affected by personal characteristics and life experiences, and make recommendations
regarding new programs and social policies that increase resiliency of vulnerable populations in future
crises. The goals of the parent grant are to systematically evaluate cognitive function in a normative aging
population and assess its association with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and proximal and cumulative
economic and social stress, and to quantify how biological variables related to vascular risk factors (BMI,
hypertension, smoking), as well as gender, moderate these associations. This supplement will enhance
this work by addressing these questions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims to be
addressed using supplementary funds are: (1) Investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the
health of older adults and their middle-aged adult children. We will evaluate the extent to which COVID-
19-associated economic and social stressors, such as financial hardship and emotional distress, have
impacted individuals’ health status, management of pre-existing chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes),
behaviors that affect health (e.g., smoking, substance use, exercising), and cognitive functioning. (2)
Investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family welfare across generations. We will assess
the impact of economic and social stressors resulting from COVID-19 on social behaviors and family
functioning between generations. During this time of crisis, we will examine the intergenerational
transmission of economic circumstances, emotional well-being, and social behaviors (e.g. substance use)
and assess the impact of COVID-19 stressors on family processes such as the quality of marital and parent-
child relationships.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10190068
- **Project number:** 3R15AG059286-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MARY Heather WEST GREENLEE
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $227,598
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10190068

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10190068, Predicting cognitive function: Biomarkers and economics in a rural aged cohort (3R15AG059286-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10190068. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*