# Disasters, solar energy, and chronic disease management in aging Puerto Ricans

> **NIH NIH R01** · FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $14,825

## Abstract

A. Project Abstract
 On September 2017 Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico (PR), a US territory populated by
3.2 million American citizens. The event reached PR as a category 4 hurricane and caused the
longest electric power outage in US history. Two years later the electric grid was further
damaged by a series of earthquakes in the southern part of the Island. Some communities still
experience a complete lack of electricity, and most face frequent power outages. The
implications of this interrupted access to electricity on the population’s health have gone
unexplored in the Caribbean, where extreme events are expected to increase in intensity.
 Energy independence through direct access to solar power has begun to appear in PR
through the work of community organizations. One model case is that of Casa Pueblo (CP), a
non-profit community organization that has spearheaded the movement for energy
independence on the Island. Located in the rural town of Adjuntas, CP has begun to provide
solar panels to members in the communities. They have electrified essential locations in
adjacent communities (e.g., small food markets, restaurants) and individual homes of elderly
populations and those with energy-dependent chronic conditions – such as renal disease,
respiratory disease, and diabetes – with the aim of improving CDM during the Island’s frequent
power outages.
 In response to PAR-19-250 (Environmental Influences on Aging: Effects of Extreme
Weather and Disaster Events on Aging Populations) we currently carrying out a project
theoretically informed by a framework on disaster and climate-resilience approaches to health in
order to explore the multilevel factors that enable local government agencies, communities, and
individuals to adapt to energy independence in their settings, and thereby address their
implications for CDM. These are the study’s current aims:
 Aim 1 – Through our partnership with CP, explore the process experienced by
communities and the aging population (≥50 years) living with chronic diseases while adapting to
energy independence (e.g., introduction of the technology, training on its use, access to
energized communal points) in order to better understand how communal characteristics (e.g.,
collective identity, perceived individualism) can hinder or foster CDM among those with renal
disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes.
 Aim 2 – Systematically document from a multilevel perspective (i.e., individual,
community and structural) the perceived barriers and facilitators for adopting energy
independence strategies in PR.
 Aim 3 – Document resilience related variables at the individual (e.g., self-efficacy,
positive attitudes, knowledge, altruism), communal (e.g., emotional connection, group
membership), and structural (i.e., power outages, geographical variables) levels that can foster
effective CDM among aging populations in need of electricity-based treatments (i.e., renal
disease, respiratory disease, diabetes).
 To achieve the propose...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10632591
- **Project number:** 3R01AG072613-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MARK B PADILLA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $14,825
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-02-01 → 2026-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10632591

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10632591, Disasters, solar energy, and chronic disease management in aging Puerto Ricans (3R01AG072613-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10632591. Licensed CC0.

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