# Community-Level Effects of Structural Racism on Women's Circadian Rhythm Pattern and Heatlh

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · 2022 · $242,175

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The purpose of this supplement is to examine associations between community-level effects of structural
racism, circadian rhythm patterns, and indicators of health among women caring for young children living in
underserved communities. Circadian rhythm disruption is associated with poor health outcomes including
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and depression, as well as maternal morbidities and poor
birth outcomes including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, low birth weight, and preterm birth. Women living
in underserved communities are at high-risk for circadian rhythm disruption due to the community-level effects
of structural racism, such as noise pollution, light pollution, and community violence. Women caregivers of
young children are also at increased risk for disrupted circadian rhythm due to gendered caregiving
responsibilities, including nighttime caregiving tasks. However, structural and social determinants of circadian
rhythm patterns among women living in underserved communities have not been examined. In this
supplement, we leverage data from the Principal Investigator’s Parent R00 study, a cross-sectional study of
maternal-child dyads that seeks to examine biological, behavioral, and genetic mechanisms underlying the
intergenerational transmission of toxic stress. In the proposed supplement, we will use measures of women’s
circadian rhythm patterns (rest-activity rhythms via actigraphy) and health (stress biomarkers, anthropometrics,
physical/mental health) that are collected in the Parent R00 as key outcome variables. In collaboration with
experts from the University of Connecticut Department of Geography and the Connecticut Children’s Medical
Center (CCMC) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) laboratory, we will use GIS and spatial analysis to
construct innovative, objective measures of community-level effects of structural racism. Based on the National
Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework, community-level variables
will include indicators of the physical/built environment (light pollution, noise pollution) and the sociocultural
environment (gun violence, social vulnerability). By leveraging data collected with women in the Parent R00
and developing new, objective community-level variables using secondary analyses, this supplement offers an
innovative, efficient approach to addressing new research questions pertinent to women’s health while also
generating valuable data to inform the parent study. The proposed supplement is aligned with priorities of the
National Institutes of Health, including goals outlined in the Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women’s Health
Research and the 2021 NIH Sleep Research Plan. We expect results of this study will provide critical, novel
insights into the structural factors that may contribute to health and health inequities among women caregivers
of young children living in underserved communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10558928
- **Project number:** 3R00NR018876-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
- **Principal Investigator:** EILEEN CONDON
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $242,175
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-24 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10558928

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10558928, Community-Level Effects of Structural Racism on Women's Circadian Rhythm Pattern and Heatlh (3R00NR018876-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10558928. Licensed CC0.

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