Health implications of enduring and emerging stressors: Design of the prospective New Jersey Population Health Cohort (NJHealth) Study

Abstract

Introduction. Some stressors, like unemployment, are common and rigorously studied, while others, such as those related to climate change or social media are just emerging and in need of systematic research. The New Jersey Population Health Cohort (NJHealth) Study aims to characterize enduring and emerging stressors and delineate the pathways through which they influence health, especially among groups likely to experience chronic exposure to stressors including immigrants, people of color, multi-generational families, and low-income families.

Methods and analysis. A prospective cohort, the NJHealth Study is recruiting 8,000 NJ residents aged 14 and older using probabilistic and purposive methods to include members of multi-generational families, marginalized racial/ethnic and low-income populations, and recent immigrant groups.
Building on ecosocial, life course, and stress process models, the NJHealth Study employs multi-modal data collection to comprehensively measure stress-related factors at individual and societal levels. Interviews include self-assessments of individual and societal stressors, potential stress buffers and amplifiers, and health and well-being outcomes, including cognitive function, activity limitations, and self-reported health. In addition, salivary DNA, fasting plasma, health assessments, and actigraphy data are collected from selected participants; and existing electronic health records, health insurance claims, social service and employment data, vital records are linked.
NJ's socioeconomic and demographic diversity make it an exceptional setting for the study. Strong community and stakeholder engagement supports effective translation of research findings into practical policy and programmatic applications.

Note:

Funding Information: The NJHealth Study is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the State of New Jersey, and Rutgers University.

Conflict of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical Approval: Informed consent and, when applicable, HIPAA authorization, are being obtained for each type of data collected. The study was reviewed and approved by the WCGIRB (formally Western IRB).

Keywords: Stressors, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health, Immigrant Health, Race/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Health Disparities, Prospective Cohort

JEL Classification: I14