Quantifying mid-to-late life physical and sensory functioning in hchs SOL

The National Institute on Aging awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine $1,890,044 under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) on July 1, 2026, to quantify physical and sensory functioning in mid-to-late life among Hispanic and Latino populations enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). The research will characterize the prevalence of physical and sensory impairments in middle-aged and older Hispanic participants, examine associations with frailty and disability, and identify underlying contributors including social determinants of health and lifestyle factors such as physical activity, sleep, and socioeconomic position. The study addresses documented health disparities: although U.S. Hispanic life expectancy meets or exceeds that of non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics experience greater midlife cardiometabolic disease burden and higher rates of late-life disability. Previous prevalence estimates of physical and sensory impairments in U.S. Hispanics are outdated and limited primarily to Mexican and Puerto Rican populations, limiting public health planning as the U.S. Hispanic population is projected to exceed 19 million by 2060. Performance takes place in the Bronx, New York, with a period of performance from July 1, 2026, through March 31, 2031.

Abstract

The U.S. Hispanic population is aging. Although the average life expectancy of hispanics in the U.S. Generally meets or exceeds that of non-hispanic whites, hispanics tend to have greater midlife cardiometabolic disease burden, which may contribute to poorer physical and sensory functioning and higher rates of disability in late life (e.g., living longer, but living sicker ). Further, life course health inequities resulting from lower socioeconomic status, educational attainment, and behavioral factors may lead to disparate levels of frailty and disability at older ages, which has broad implications for quality of life and ability to maintain independence. Yet to date, representative levels of physical and sensory functioning in the U.S. Hispanic population, and their associations with frailty and disability in mid-to-late life, are not well defined. Previous estimates of the prevalence of physical and sensory impairments in U.S. Hispanics are outdated and/or limited to mostly mexican and puerto rican ethnic groups. Given the U.S. Hispanic population is expected to grow -in size and diversity- to over 19 million by 2060, characterizing the prevalence of physical and sensory impairments, and identifying key contributors to their development, is imperative to public health. The overarching goals of this study are to define the prevalence of physical and sensory impairments and the associated risks of frailty and disability in middle-aged and older participants of the hispanic community health study/study of latinos (HCHS/SOL). Additionally, we will delineate underlying contributors to these processes, including social determinants of health and lifestyle factors (e.g., physical activity, sleep, socioeconomic position), which may accelerate the onset and progression of late-life sensory and motor impairments and contribute to lower quality of life and reduced functional independence with aging. HCHS/SOL provides a unique, well-characterized cohort of middle- and older-aged hispanic adults through four geographically and ethnically diverse clinical sites (bronx, NY, miami, FL, chicago, IL, SAN diego, CA) that can aid in defining normative levels of physical and sensory functioning, as well as the prevalence of sensory and motor impairments, frailty, and disability. We will compare these findings to non-hispanic white participants of the national health and aging trends study (NHATS). We will leverage longitudinal physical activity, sleep, and social determinants of health data collected across multiple visits and add new measures of hearing, vision, olfaction, physical function, and disability to illuminate how social and lifestyle factors of middle- and older-aged hispanics contribute to the development of frailty and disability. Findings from this study will provide insights into underlying factors contributing to health inequalities in the hispanic population and provide targets for future intervention and policy efforts.