Social Networks and Cognitive Health among Black and Latino sexual minority men in NJ

Project Summary This proposed study, aligned with RFA-AG-24-025, aims to address how interpersonal processes and social network characteristics of aging Black and Latino sexual minority men (SMM) facilitate or impede health behaviors affecting cognitive performance. Little is known about the mechanisms of health behavior change within social networks over time in aging Black and Latino SMM. Our proposal will address critical gaps in knowledge that have prevented the development of effective social network interventions to promote social and physical activities and maintain cognitive health among aging Black and Latino SMM.This will be achieved by using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to establish a cohort of 400 aging Black and Latino SMM in Essex, Bergen, and Hudson counties, New Jersey in order to assess the following specific aims: 1) Cross-sectionally elucidate the association between interpersonal (intersectional stigma and social support) and social network characteristics and health behaviors (social and physical activities) among aging Black and Latino SMM; 2) longitudinally examine interpersonal and social network characteristics (network stability, density, centrality) that act to promote or impede social and physical activities; and 3) longitudinally examine variability in interpersonal and social network characteristics and their time-lagged relationships with subsequent trends in social and physical activities and cognitive performance. Our research will establish critical knowledge that will improve the understanding of pathways and processes of interpersonal and social network influences on health behaviors associated with cognitive performance. It will provide important new information for the future development of strengths-based interventions intended to boost the ability of aging Black and Latino SMM to leverage protective social network effects.