# Green space and cognitive health: the role of structural racism in environmental and health disparities.

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $778,623

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans had Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of
dementia, and this number is expected to reach 13.8 million by 2050. Alzheimer’s Disease and related
dementias (ADRD) take an enormous toll on individuals affected, as well as their caregivers. Because disease-
modifying therapies have proved largely ineffective, a priority is placed on finding ways to prevent this
debilitating disease. This is particularly important for Black Americans who have a greater risk for poor
cognitive aging compared to non-Hispanic White Americans, whether measured as clinical dementia or lower
cognitive function in late life. Because neighborhood design factors can be modified at the population level
through policy and regulation, they are an attractive area for intervention. Green space is one neighborhood
design element that may be associated with cognitive function because exposure to it may reduce stress,
improve mood, promote physical activity, and provide opportunities for social engagement, all of which have
been associated with better cognitive health. Communities of color are more likely to live in neighborhoods with
lower green space than white communities and structural racism, through past discriminatory policies leading
to residential segregation, has been implicated in this inequitable distribution of green space. Recognition of
these inequities has led to recent efforts to increase the amount and quality of green space in historically
disadvantaged communities through park improvement projects, street tree plantings, and vacant lot
restoration. While these initiatives may have the intention of combatting decades of disinvestment rooted in
structural racism, they may, instead, end up reinforcing segregation by race and/or socioeconomic status
because of gentrification, a process by which under-resourced neighborhoods are developed and experience
in-migration of affluent newcomers. Therefore, it is unclear if green space improvements are harmful or
beneficial to communities of color, particularly in neighborhoods that are undergoing revitalization. In the
proposed work, we will (1) assess the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between changes in green
space and cognitive function, cognitive decline, and dementia over a 20-year period in the (a) overall
population and (b) by race/ethnicity; (2) estimate the association between structural racism (as measured by
historical redlining spatial patterns) and cognitive function, cognitive decline, and dementia; and determine if
this association is mediated by green space exposure; (3) determine if (a) the association between green
space and cognitive function, cognitive decline, and dementia is moderated by gentrification; and (b) there is
an independent association between gentrification and psychosocial stressors, mental health, and perceived
neighborhood characteristics; and (4) partner with a national network of local environmental just...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10474103
- **Project number:** 1R01AG077935-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jaime Madrigano
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $778,623
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10474103

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10474103, Green space and cognitive health: the role of structural racism in environmental and health disparities. (1R01AG077935-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10474103. Licensed CC0.

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