Reviewing Data Disaggregation in Aging Health Research: NIA Grants and Recommendations for Equity
2024

Reviewing Data Disaggregation in Aging Health Research

Sample size: 12 publication Evidence: low

Author Information

Author(s): Cajavilca Moroni Fernandez, Lee Matthew, Doan Lan

Primary Institution: New York University

Hypothesis

Data disaggregation offers a promising approach to advancing data equity in aging research.

Conclusion

The study found that only 12 NIH-funded awards focused on disaggregating race and ethnicity data in aging research, highlighting a significant gap in this area.

Supporting Evidence

  • Only 12 NIH-funded awards focused on disaggregating race and ethnicity data in aging research.
  • Most grants mentioning data disaggregation were awarded from 2015 onwards.
  • Proposed data disaggregation included Latino, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Arab ethnic groups.

Takeaway

The research shows that not enough studies are looking at different races and ethnicities in aging health research, which is important for fairness.

Methodology

The study reviewed the NIH RePORTER database to identify NIA grants proposing data disaggregation from 1985 to 2024.

Potential Biases

The grouping of diverse individuals into broad categories may lead to biased outcomes in health research.

Limitations

The limited number of grants focusing on data disaggregation indicates a lack of attention to this important issue.

Participant Demographics

Racially and ethnically diverse older adults.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.4277

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