# Communities Designed to Support Cardiovascular Health for Older Adults

> **NIH NIH R56** · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $656,047

## Abstract

7. Project Summary Abstract
Retail-focused built environment work in public health has informed governmental actions (restrictions,
zoning changes, and incentive programs) that favor certain establishment types (such as supermarkets
versus fast food restaurants). With the growth of e-commerce, demand for several traditional uses of
retail space has declined, especially following the 2008 housing crisis and more recently during the
2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, across the US communities are innovating, including by
temporarily or permanently re-purposing vacant commercial spaces. Our renewal is designed to be
responsive to the emerging questions about neighborhood change, and to meet current information
needs on how the built environment affects behavioral and stress pathways to chronic disease.
This renewal will (1) collect questionnaire data on neighborhood change perceptions and update
neighborhood characterization throughout the contiguous US among participants from the REasons for
Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study (ongoing follow-up of 11,205 adults
age 45+ recruited in 2003-2007) and (2) convene public deliberation events engaging residents from
neighborhoods in New York City; NY, Philadelphia, PA; and Birmingham, AL experiencing ongoing or
upcoming change to use of commercial space, about which values and community preferences could
inform action. This combination of longitudinal analyses within a large cohort study and local
engagement to inform built environment change will help to identify aspects of GIS-based
neighborhood dynamics (e.g., urbanization, gentrification, greening, retail instability) associated with
perceptions by residents about their neighborhoods and behavioral and stress pathways affecting
resident health. We will draw on and contribute to the literature linking longitudinal neighborhood
characteristics to population health, while also fostering collective decision-making capacity that draws
on a broader range of perspectives and values.
To accomplish the proposed activities, we have assembled an experienced investigative team spanning
Drexel University, University of Alabama Birmingham, Columbia University, and New York Academy of
Medicine. While building on the productive collaboration in the original funding period, this team has
been configured for alignment with the proposed questionnaire data collection, geographic linkage,
longitudinal analysis, and community-engagement activities. Support in maximizing the relevance of
this work to multiple settings and audiences will come from an advisory committee spanning disciplines,
sectors, and stakeholders in each setting.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10688314
- **Project number:** 2R56AG049970-05A1
- **Recipient organization:** DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Gina S Lovasi
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $656,047
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2015-09-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10688314

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10688314, Communities Designed to Support Cardiovascular Health for Older Adults (2R56AG049970-05A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10688314. Licensed CC0.

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