The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC)

is one of the world’s most significant and longest-running heart health studies and is the largest study of heart health in African Americans.

Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ARIC investigates risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and the connections between cardiovascular and cognitive health.

Click here or explore our site to learn more about our research and key findings on cardiovascular health.

In 1987, nearly 16,000 Participants

aged 45 through 65 joined the ARIC cohort study in four communities: 

  • Washington County, Maryland
  • Forsyth County, North Carolina
  • Jackson, Mississippi
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota

In 2021, approximately 6,000 original Participants, now in their 80s and 90s, are still active in ARIC. They generously give their time for clinical exams every three years, along with regular telephone follow-up.

We could not do any of this without our wonderful Participants, and thank you!

Pulse

A child speaking in an older person's ear

More findings from ACHIEVE point to benefits of hearing health

In the US a quarter of older adults report being socially isolated, while a third report feeling lonely, and we know that hearing helps with social interactions. Two recent papers diving deeper into ACHIEVE study data suggest that wearing hearing aids can reduce isolation and loneliness and be beneficial to those most at-risk for cognitive decline. In the first paper, participants who received the hearing intervention (hearing aids) on average had one extra person in their social network and reported less loneliness after three years in the study. In the second paper, the subgroup of participants most at-risk for cognitive decline who happened to receive the hearing intervention had 61.6% slower cognitive decline than those in the control group. These findings drive home that hearing health is important to our overall health as we age.

Two men reading a tablet

Read our New Newsletter!

Click here for our newest ARIC newsletter, where we highlight new discoveries and study opportunities.

Ad for the ARIC Gen 2 study

Join the next Generation of ARIC!

The purpose of the ARIC Gen2 research study is to evaluate the link between glucose and heart problems in adults with type 2 diabetes. If you are 50 to 80 years of age with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, you are potentially eligible to participate in our study.  

 

More info
Previous Pause Next
1 of 3
Subscribe to