EFFECT OF THE BALTIMORE EXPERIENCE CORPS INTERVENTION ON MEMORY - MODERATION BY NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS

Sep 29, 2026

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Neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and walkability may support cognitive health in later life by enabling active engagement, but structural disparities often place older adults in less advantaged neighborhoods. This study evaluates whether Experience Corps improves memory and whether effects vary by combined nSES and walkability. Participants (n=659, age 67±5.9) completed a 2-year trial. Experience Corps showed no overall memory benefit (p>.05), but effects were stronger for low-walkability/low-nSES neighborhoods.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Study aims and setting

Methods

Participants and intervention design

Neighborhood measures and grouping

Memory assessment

Statistical modeling

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 283 neighborhoods, especially minoritized groups. Experience Corps was developed to encourage sustained activity for older adults through intergenerational volunteering in local elementary schools. We examined whether Experience Corps improved memory performance and whether this association was moderated by nSES and walkability. Participants were from the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial (n = 659, mean±SD age=67±5.9), which tested the 2-year efficacy of Experience Corps versus an active control. Neighborhood measures included tract-level walkability (e.g., transit access, service/commercial density) and nSES (e.g., poverty, unemployment). Individuals were categorized into combined walkability/nSES groups using median splits of each index: low walkability/high nSES (39%), high walkability/high nSES (12%), high walkability/low nSES (38%), low walkability/lownSES (11%). Memory was assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (delayed recall) at baseline and 24 months (post-intervention) . We fit mixed effects models with individual-level random intercepts and slopes and adjusted forage, sex, education, and health conditions. Experience Corps had no effect on memory performance in the overall sample (p>.05). While the intervention effect on memory did not differ significantly across all neighborhood strata (p-interaction=.12), it was significantly greater for the low walkability/low nSES group versus the low walkability/high nSES group, 1.2 (95% CI:-0.2, 2.6) vs. -0.6 (95% CI: -1.3, 0.2), p=.03 . Experience Corps may provide structured opportunities that promote memory especially for aging adults in less resourced neighborhoods. Abstract citation ID: igaf122.948 EFFECT OF THE BALTIMORE EXPERIENCE CORPS INTERVENTION ON MEMORY: MODERATION BY NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS Kyle Moored1, Michael Desjardins2, Vijay Varma3, Qian-Li Xue2, and Michelle Carlson1, 1. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 2. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 3. Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Section, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland, United States Neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and walkability may promote cognitive health in later life by providing opportunities for active engagement. Yet, structural disparities have led many older adults to reside in more disadvantaged

FAQs

Did Experience Corps improve memory performance for the overall participant group?

No. Experience Corps showed no effect on memory performance in the overall sample (p>.05).

Did neighborhood walkability and nSES moderate the intervention effect on memory?

Overall differences across neighborhood strata were not significant (p-interaction=.12), but the low walkability/low nSES group benefited more than the low walkability/high nSES group (p=.03).

What memory outcome and time points were used in the trial?

Memory was assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (delayed recall) at baseline and 24 months after the intervention.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Hazel