The Healthy Aging Initiative (HAI): an interdisciplinary longitudinal cohort study to characterize and promote healthspan in senior housing

Abstract

Objective: We present the rationale, design, and methods for the Healthy Aging Initiative (HAI), a prospective longitudinal cohort study of older adults primarily residing in senior housing, aimed to identify and characterize factors associated with a prolonged healthspan in this population.

Methods: The HAI, developed with input from experts at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research and informed by a pilot study, includes a community engaged recruitment method and a yearly assessment encompassing the following domains: sociodemographic information, medical history, lifestyle, psychological well-being, physical and cognitive health, mobility, and sensory health. Recruitment is ongoing and includes participants who are aged ≥55 years recruited from six senior housing communities. A control group of community-dwelling participants living in conventional housing aged ≥55 is also planned.

Results: Recruitment remains ongoing. Expected results include characterizing the sociodemographic and health profiles of older adults in independent-living (IL) senior housing, identifying psychological, lifestyle and biological factors associated with a prolonged healthspan, and defining high-risk subgroups to inform future targeted interventions and health promotion strategies. Data will be made publicly available.

Discussion: Longitudinal studies on aging often face challenges such as retention and sustained community engagement. Through a collaborative effort among research scientists in the aging field, housing providers, and older adults, this project aims to collect data on aging trajectories among older adults residing in IL senior housing to inform future initiatives that promote prolonged healthspan in this population.

Keywords: aging; cognition; healthspan; lifestyle; longitudinal cohort; mobility; senior housing; social.