The RECVD study is a national longitudinal investigation on the effects of access to healthy food sources, medical facilities and social destinations and cardiovascular disease outcomes and subsequent residential relocation of older adults in the U.S, with a focus on addressing racial disparities. The NIA-funded work is focused on aging-in-place and CVD-free survival using follow-up data from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS).
The overarching goal of RECVD is to generate and disseminate actionable population-specific knowledge on the role of local environments. Ultimately, we hope this knowledge will inform strategies for tailoring local action to improve health, reduce health disparities, and support aging-in-place.
Note: The funding period for the RECVD grant concluded on June 30, 2025. The data sets remain available from the Urban Health Collaborative (census tracts and ZCTAs) and the parent studies CHS and REGARDS. See the Data Access tab for more information.
This site is a source of information and tools to support collaboration using RECVD GIS longitudinal data sets.
Spatial Social Polarization:
We created a generalized data resource to explore and calculate variables related to spatial social polarization, complementing a peer-reviewed systematic scoping review we published in 2025.
a. Spatial Social Polarization (SSP) Maps:The Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE) https://drexel-uhc.shinyapps.io/SSP_Maps/
b. McCulley EM, Frueh L, Myers D, Jaros S, Abdel Magid HS, Bayer F, Lovasi GS. Measuring Spatial Social Polarization in Public Health Research: A Scoping Review of Methods and Applications. J Urban Health. 2025 Apr;102(2):213-239. doi: 10.1007/s11524-024-00957-6. Epub 2025 Mar 10. PMID: 40063227; PMCID: PMC12031708.
Food Environment Electronic Database Directory (FEED) - 2025 update
The annual refresh of the Food Environment Electronic Database Director was completed in September 2024. Two descriptions of electronic datasets were added to the directory. Also, the corresponding paper was published. See item b under recent publications below. FEED was developed in partnership with the RECVD team, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) and funded by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Public Health Training Center.
FEED can be accessed at https://www.foodenvironmentdirectory.com/ We welcome your feedback and invite you to provide feedback on your user experience by taking the brief User Survey which can also be found on the Contact Page Please share this with others that might be interested!
Recent Publications
a. Besser, L.M., Lovasi, G.S., Zambrano, J.J., Camacho, S., Dhanekula, D., Michael, Y.L., Garg, P., Hirsch, J.A., Siscovick, D., Hurvitz, P.M., Biggs, M.L. Neighborhood greenspace and neighborhood income associated with white matter grade worsening: Cardiovascular Health Study. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, 2023: 15(4), p.e12484.
b. Boise, S., Crossa, A., Etheredge, A. J., McCulley, E. M., Lovasi, G. S. Concepts, characterizations, and cautions: a public health guide and glossary for planning food environment measurement. The Open Public Health Journal, 2023: 16(1). https://doi.org/10.2174/18749445-v16-230821-2023-51
c. Brown, J, Hirsch, J.A., Tabb, L.P., Judd, S.E., Bennett, A., Rundle, A., Lovasi, G.S. A segmented regression analysis of household income and recurrent falls among adults in a national cohort study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2023: kwad211.
d. Rundle, A.G., Neckerman, K.M., Judd, S.E., Colabianchi, N., Moore, K.A., James W. Quinn, Hirsch, J.A., and Lovasi, G.S. Cumulative experience of neighborhood walkability and change in weight and waist circumference in REGARDS. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2023.
e. Gullon, P., Fry, D., Plascak, J.J., Mooney, S.J., Lovasi, G.S. Measuring changes in neighborhood disorder using Google Street View longitudinal imagery: a feasibility study. Cities & Health, 2023; p. 1-7.
Please send announcements and calls for papers to the RECVD Research Coordinator (gslovasiresearch@gmail.com)