| Abstrakt: |
Background: In the upcoming decades, the US is poised to experience a population growth among its minority populations (e.g., African Americans, Asians, Latinx) who will represent approximately 45% of the US population ≥65 years old by 2060. Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) studies report significant health disparities by race and ethnicity, as well as other health disparate communities (e.g., sexual and gender minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations). These demographic shifts underscore the importance of addressing these disparities. The Division of Neuroscience (DN) at the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) works to strengthen knowledge and understanding of AD/ADRD in minority and health disparate populations, to achieve health equity. This analysis sought to characterize the existing portfolio of research grants focusing on minority health and health disparities supported by DN to understand opportunities for scientific advancement. Method: Using the NIH Query, View, and Report (QVR) system, combined with Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) codes, we identified minority health and health disparities research project grants from 2015 to 2021. These grants were manually reviewed for inclusion into the analysis. A grant was coded as minority health or health disparities or both if the specific aims of the grant specified research in this area. Further analyses were performed to understand which populations were included in these studies and identify key resources that were used to support research in this area. Result: Research projects were distributed across the five branches in the division, with the highest number in the Populations and Genetics branch. Of the 455 grants identified, 64% were investigator‐initiated awards (R01), followed by cooperative agreements (U01). Most grants focused on racial/ethnic disparities, while a few investigated disparities by geographic location, gender, etc. African American populations were included in most research awards, followed by Latinx groups. Conclusion: Our analysis provides an overview of the landscape and resources used for minority health and health disparities research, as well as identifies gaps and opportunities that can be used to develop comprehensive strategies to accelerate the pace of research and discoveries in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
