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37/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 37 out of 100. Risk factors

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Environmental factors may significantly increase the risk of or buffer against Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, yet strategies to address cognitive decline and impairment to date largely overlook the role of neighborhoods. This mixed-methods study is the first to examine potential links between access to eateries and cognitive function. The goal is to inform place-specific interventions to help aging individuals reduce risk for cognitive impairment through neighborhood community and design. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Following an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, seated and mobile interviews with 125 adults aged 55-92 (mean age 71) living in the Minneapolis (Minnesota) metropolitan area suggest that eateries, including coffee shops and fast-food restaurants, represent popular neighborhood destinations for older adults and sources of wellbeing. To test the hypothesis that these sites, and the benefits they confer, are associated with cognitive welfare, we analyzed data from urban and suburban dwelling participants in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a national racially diverse sample of older Americans followed since 2003 (n = 16,404, average age at assessment 72 years). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Qualitative thematic analysis of how older adults perceived and utilized local eateries include sites of familiarity and comfort; physical and economic accessibility; sociability with friends, family, staff, and customers; and entertainment (e.g., destinations for outings and walks, free newspapers to read). Quantitative results from multilevel linear regression models demonstrate a positive association between density of eateries and cognitive functioning. Taken together, these results complicate our understanding of fast-food settings as possible sites of wellbeing through social interaction and leisure activities. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The results contribute new evidence towards an emerging ecological model of cognitive health. Understanding whether and how retail food environments can help buffer against cognitive decline among older adults provides novel opportunities to promote wellbeing in later life through community interventions and neighborhood design.

Key findings

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Environmental factors may significantly increase the risk of or buffer against Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, yet strategies to address cognitive decline and impairment to date largely overlook the role of neighborhoods.
METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Following an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, seated and mobile interviews with 125 adults aged 55-92 (mean age 71) living in the Minneapolis (Minnesota) metropolitan area suggest that eateries, including coffee shops and fast-food restaurants, represent popular neighborhood destinations for older adults and sources of wellbeing.
To test the hypothesis that these sites, and the benefits they confer, are associated with cognitive welfare, we analyzed data from urban and suburban dwelling participants in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a national racially diverse sample of older Americans followed since 2003 (n = 16,404, average age at assessment 72 years).
RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Qualitative thematic analysis of how older adults perceived and utilized local eateries include sites of familiarity and comfort; physical and economic accessibility; sociability with friends, family, staff, and customers; and entertainment (e.g., destinations for outings and walks, free newspapers to read).
Quantitative results from multilevel linear regression models demonstrate a positive association between density of eateries and cognitive functioning.

Why it matters

This study examined whether access to coffee shops and fast-food restaurants is linked to cognitive function in older Americans, using interviews and national data. It is early work on neighborhood resources and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.

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Study details

Participants16,404
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 37/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Clinical and Translational Science)
Journal's citation record	0 / 4	Journal of Clinical and Translational Science: journal h-index 46 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	4 / 4	16,404 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	1 / 7	Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.1 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020
Impact for its field and year	1 / 6	Cited 0.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	0 / 4	Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Philippa J Clarke: h-index 49 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of Michigan: institution h-index 2,240 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	1 / 2	Not in PubMed, but has a DOI
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	37 / 100	—

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Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Finlay, J., Esposito, M. H., Tang, S., Gomez-Lopez, I., Sylvers, D., Judd, S. E., et al. (2020). 4430 Coffee Shops and Fast-food Restaurants: Potential Neighborhood Resources for Cognitive Health and Wellbeing Among Aging Americans. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2020.57

Vancouver

Finlay J, Esposito MH, Tang S, Gomez-Lopez I, Sylvers D, Judd SE, et al. 4430 Coffee Shops and Fast-food Restaurants: Potential Neighborhood Resources for Cognitive Health and Wellbeing Among Aging Americans. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2020. doi:10.1017/cts.2020.57.

BibTeX

@article{finlay2020-e5a23993,
  author  = {Finlay, Jessica and Esposito, Michael H. and Tang, Sandra and Gomez-Lopez, Iris and Sylvers, Dominique and Judd, Suzanne E. and Clarke, Philippa J},
  title   = {{4430 Coffee Shops and Fast-food Restaurants: Potential Neighborhood Resources for Cognitive Health and Wellbeing Among Aging Americans}},
  journal = {Journal of Clinical and Translational Science},
  year    = {2020},
  doi     = {10.1017/cts.2020.57},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2020.57}
}

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