Center for Aging and Policy Studies: Pilot 4 Biological Age and Functional Limitations: Moderation and Limitations

Principal Investigator: Maria Brown

Active Dates: 2022 – 2023

Funding Source: NIH/NIA

Description:

Biological aging provides a significant opportunity to rethink the aging process and heath across the life course. Disparities in poor health outcomes can be partially attributed to weathering, or accelerated physiological aging due to chronic exposure to psychosocial stress, and may result in different biological profiles in individuals of the same chronological age. Understanding the incongruence between chronological and biological age can provide insights into which adults may need support earlier than the mandated chronological age for access to certain resources. This pilot is innovative in its use of biological data at the population level, to increase awareness of the differing needs of diverse older populations whose wellbeing, health, and biological processes may be shaped by differential exposure to social determinants of health.