# Identifying and Addressing Social Isolation among Older Adults Living in Subsidized Housing

> **NIH NIH K23** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $198,699

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Social isolation is the objective lack of (or limited) social contact with others. Approximately 1 in 4 older
adults are socially isolated. Social isolation is a major public health issue and a risk factor for morbidity and
mortality comparable to smoking, hypertension, and a sedentary lifestyle. Socially isolated older adults
cost Medicare an estimated additional $6.7 billion each year. Low income older adults have two times the
odds of experiencing social isolation compared to those with higher incomes. Amidst current aging
projections and reports that the current cohort of older Americans have high debt and insufficient savings,
the demand for subsidized housing has increased. Few studies examine social isolation among low
income older adults living in subsidized housing. Despite epidemiologic evidence demonstrating the
deleterious effects of social isolation on health, gaps exist in our knowledge regarding the best solutions to
identify and address this major public health problem. This K23 proposal builds upon the candidates’ work
funded by the Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Subspecialists’ Transitioning to Aging Research
(GEMSSTAR, R03) to advance our understanding of the facilitators and barriers of social isolation among
older adults living in subsidized housing. Leveraging these insights, this K23 proposal, guided by the NIH
Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, will conduct basic research (NIH Stage 0) to
characterize social isolation and its relationship with individual and structural factors among older adults
living in subsidized housing to identify participant characteristics that will inform the development of an
intervention. These findings will inform the creation (NIH Stage 1A) and piloting (NIH Stage 1B) of a
housing-based social isolation intervention pilot. This innovative proposal employs a transdisciplinary
approach and builds the foundation for novel approaches to identify and address social isolation among
older living in subsidized housing. This proposal will support the research and career development of the
candidate, who aims to become an independent clinician investigator focused on developing and
implementing community-based interventions that improve the health of low-income older adults.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10893037
- **Project number:** 5K23AG075191-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Thomas Kofi Mensah Cudjoe
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $198,699
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10893037

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10893037, Identifying and Addressing Social Isolation among Older Adults Living in Subsidized Housing (5K23AG075191-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10893037. Licensed CC0.

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