Conceptualized as a dynamic process of individual health protective mechanism, disaster preparedness is defined as individual behavior changes in this study, from “not prepared” (NP) stage to “having an intention to prepare” (IP) stage, and ultimately to “already prepared” (AP) stage. Although older adults are much more vulnerable to the health effects of disasters than their middle age and young adult counterparts, the extent to which behavioral transitions from one stage to another differ across the two groups has not been explored.

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect 15% of pregnant individuals, are significant contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality in the US, and disproportionately impact Black individuals. Individuals with HDP have a 12-fold higher risk of chronic hypertension within one year postpartum. HDP is also associated with a 2-fold higher risk of later cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke in part through accelerated vascular aging. Improved blood pressure (BP) control early postpartum may prevent vascular remodeling and lower long-term hypertension risk.

Every year, thousands of consumers try to improve their well-being by setting goals, such as losing weight (Martin et al., 2018). More often than not, these goals are unsuccessful (i.e., Tsai & Wadden, 2005; Wadden et al., 2004; Young et al, 2012). One reason this might happen is that “small failures” derail people. Throughout long term goal pursuit, it is inevitable that people will experience a small failure along the way. Some days it might be impossible to make it to the gym, or some days you might have to splurge on that dessert.

The poor suffer disproportionally from poor mental and physical health. Many causes for these disparities have been considered, including low income. But, poor families’ incomes are not only low, but also often unstable and unpredictable. This instability creates uncertainty about whether they will be able to safeguard their future wellbeing.

More older adults in the United States are undergoing inpatient surgery than ever before. Older age is a risk factor for greater morbidity and mortality following surgery; therefore, improving the surgical care and outcomes of older adults warrants attention. In this proposal, we focus on one concerning adverse surgical event which is particularly threatening to the postoperative recovery of older adults— prolonged surgical time.

Psychological research suggests that interventions that encourage routines, or stable habits, could improve individual welfare tremendously, in particular, if capable of improving behaviors and decisions about health, education, and personal finance. Established habits help reduce cognitive load such that goal-pursuit behaviors are automatic, and individuals may not need to decide every time how much to work out, what to eat, how to spend money, and how hard to study (Neal, Wood, and Drolet 2013).

Increased physical activity by walking further or more vigorously may delay the development of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and associated cognitive decline but reaching higher levels of activity and maintaining it as a long-term habit is difficult to do. This project will use concepts from behavioral science to create a mobility game that people at risk for developing ADRD can play in order to increase their levels of activity while having fun doing it.

The objective of this research is to develop an outcome measure for clinical trials in older adults and patients with serious illness that incorporates both survival and avoidance of suffering. In this proposal, we describe the first phase of this work by exploring the concept of SWD among older patients with serious illness using semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis.

Mounting evidence has documented that default retirement saving policies significantly increase both retirement savings (Madrian and Shea, 2001) and total savings (Chetty et al. 2009). One key question that remains unanswered is where the increased savings come from. It can be either from reduced consumption or from increased debt. If individuals save more by budgeting their pre-retirement consumption, the default policies effectively promote lifetime individual welfare by smoothing their income over time.

Poverty confers many costs on individuals. Being poor harms health, reduces educational attainment, and lowers productivity. More insidiously, the stress and deprivation of poverty levies a tax on cognitive bandwidth, which has the potential to further reduce overall well-being via by decreasing utility from whatever little the poor are able to consume. Despite this theoretical premise, no research to our knowledge has examined the effects of poverty-related cognitive taxes on utility from consumption.