Besser Lilah M, Wiese Lisa, Cook Diane J, Holt Janet, Magzamen Sheryl, Minor Bryan, Mitsova Diana, Park Juyoung, Sablan Olivia, Tourelle Madeleine, Williams Christine
Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, Department of Neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Boca Raton, FL, United States of America.
C.E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 13;20(1):e0312660. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312660. eCollection 2025.
Ambient air pollution, detrimental built and social environments, social isolation (SI), low socioeconomic status (SES), and rural (versus urban) residence have been associated with cognitive decline and risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Research is needed to investigate the influence of ambient air pollution and built and social environments on SI and cognitive decline among rural, disadvantaged, ethnic minority communities. To address this gap, this cohort study will recruit an ethnoracially diverse, rural Florida sample in geographic proximity to seasonal agricultural burning. We will (1) examine contributions of smoke-related fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures to SI and cognitive function; (2) determine effects of built and social environments on SI and cognitive function; and (3) contextualize SI and cognitive function among residents from different ethnoracial groups during burn and non-burn seasons.
We will recruit 1,087 community-dwelling, dementia-free, ≥45-year-olds from five communities in Florida's Lake Okeechobee region. Over 36 months, participants will complete baseline visits to collect demographics, health history, and health measurements (e.g., blood pressure, body mass index) and 6-month follow-ups assessing cognitive function and social isolation at each visit. A subsample of 120 participants representative of each community will wear smartwatches to collect sensor data (e.g., heart rate) and daily routine and predefined activities (e.g., GPS-captured travel, frequent destinations) over two months. Ecological momentary assessments (EMA) (e.g., whether smoke has bothered participant in last 30 minutes) will occur over two months during agricultural burning and non-burning months. PurpleAir monitors (36 total) will be installed in each community to continuously monitor outdoor PM2.5 levels.
We expect to identify individual- and community-level factors that increase the risk for SI and cognitive decline in a vulnerable rural population.
环境空气污染、有害的建筑和社会环境、社会隔离（SI）、低社会经济地位（SES）以及农村（与城市相比）居住环境与认知能力下降以及患阿尔茨海默病和相关痴呆症（ADRD）的风险相关。需要开展研究来调查环境空气污染以及建筑和社会环境对农村、弱势、少数民族社区中社会隔离和认知能力下降的影响。为填补这一空白，本队列研究将在佛罗里达州招募一个种族多样化的农村样本，该样本在地理位置上靠近季节性农业焚烧区域。我们将（1）研究与烟雾相关的细颗粒物（PM2.5）暴露对社会隔离和认知功能的影响；（2）确定建筑和社会环境对社会隔离和认知功能的作用；（3）将不同种族群体居民在焚烧季节和非焚烧季节的社会隔离和认知功能情况置于具体背景中进行考量。
我们将从佛罗里达州奥基乔比湖地区的五个社区招募1087名居住在社区、无痴呆症、年龄≥45岁的居民。在36个月的时间里，参与者将完成基线访视，以收集人口统计学信息、健康史和健康测量数据（如血压、体重指数），并在每次访视时进行为期6个月的随访，评估认知功能和社会隔离情况。每个社区的120名具有代表性的参与者子样本将佩戴智能手表，在两个月的时间里收集传感器数据（如心率）以及日常活动和预定义活动（如通过全球定位系统记录的行程、经常前往的目的地）。在农业焚烧月和非焚烧月的两个月时间里，将进行生态瞬时评估（EMA）（例如，过去30分钟内烟雾是否影响了参与者）。每个社区将安装总共36个PurpleAir监测器，以持续监测室外PM2.5水平。
我们期望识别出增加弱势农村人口社会隔离和认知能力下降风险的个体层面和社区层面因素。
