Welcome to VUSNAPS!

VUSNAPS stands for Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study.

The goal of the VUSNAPS study is to understand health, aging, and the social relationships that older LGBTQ, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming adults draw on for support.

Unlike some other studies, VUSNAPS is comprised entirely of LGBTQ+ people. We designed VUSNAPS like this because it is important to understand how our own communities are doing and how our experiences, health, and aging may different from one another given the many identities and life trajectories within the LGBTQ+ community. 
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With the information from VUSNAPS participants, we aim to better identify the sources of stress and resilience for LGBTQ+ people in the South, and the ways that members of our community thrive, connect to others, and respond to life events. 

How do I get involved?

VUSNAPS is a panel study, which means we interview the same people multiple times. As of 2022, we have filled our recruitment needs and are only following up with participants who are already enrolled.
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If you are an enrolled participant and have a question or concern, please email us at vusnaps@vanderbilt.edu. 

Enrolled participants: You can find additional information on new VUSNAPS BioAge studies on the BioAge page. These studies are part of VUSNAPS and are being conducted in collaboration with team members at the University of Texas at Austin.

What's new? Check out our latest findings!

For more information about updates or events relating to the study, make sure to visit the findings page. 

Here's a quick look at what we've been up to:

  • VUSNAPS was featured on the PBS series Aging Matters: Aging with Pride!
  • Participants responses have already helped us understand more about the aging experiences of LGBTQ+ adults in the US South. Check out some of the findings from Wave 1.
  • We’ve also used the information that participants provided to help state and local governments and community organizations better serve the needs of people in the study during the COVID pandemic.
  • We completed enrollment for the three-year study in September 2021. Invitations for enrolled participants to participate in the Wave 2 follow-up survey will be sent via email 12 to 18 months after completion of your first survey, beginning in December 2021. If you haven't been contacted or have a question about Wave 2, please send us an email!

Our Study Leads

VUSNAPS is supported by several leading governmental and educational institutions.

This study is being conducted by and for our community with the support of Vanderbilt University and the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging. It has been approved by the Vanderbilt University Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research​.

Our Collaborators