Biography
Dr. Aguiñaga is committed to advancing the scientific knowledge that addresses health disparities in cognition and dementia-related diseases through community-based physical activity research. She received an Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity grant for a study of sitting time, activity, and dementia in underserved populations in central Illinois and Chicago. She also has investigated relationships among cognitive function, lifestyle, and exercise after cancer treatment. Through her research, she hopes to increase diversity in dementia-related research and reverse growing disparities in physical activity and dementia-related diseases, with the ultimate goal of creating culturally appropriate physical activity interventions for racially and ethnically diverse older adults with cognitive impairment and dementia-related diseases.
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Community Health
Recent Publications
Holthaus, T. A., Kashi, M., Cannavale, C. N., Edwards, C. G., Aguiñaga, S., Walk, A. D. M., Burd, N. A., Holscher, H. D., & Khan, N. A. (2023). MIND Dietary Pattern Adherence Is Selectively Associated with Cognitive Processing Speed in Middle-Aged Adults. The Journal of nutrition, 152(12), 2941-2949. [nxac203]. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxac203
Aguiñaga, S., Kaushal, N., Balbim, G. M., Wilson, R. S., Wilbur, J. E. E., Hughes, S., Buchner, D. M., Berbaum, M., McAuley, E., Vásquez, P. M., Marques, I. G., Wang, T., & Marquez, D. X. (2022). Latin Dance and Working Memory: The Mediating Effects of Physical Activity Among Middle-Aged and Older Latinos. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 14, [755154]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.755154
Aguiñaga, S., Guzman, J., Soto, Y., & Marquez, D. X. (Accepted/In press). Self-rated health as a predictor of cognition among middle-aged and older Latinos. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2022.2038070
Alam, R. B., Singleton, C. R., Aguiñaga, S., Chodzko-Zajko, W., Jahan, N. A., Oke, A., & Schwingel, A. (2022). Is Acculturation Associated with the Cognitive Performance of Older Hispanics? Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 85(2), 531-540. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-210502
Balbim, G. M., Erickson, K. I., Ajilore, O. A., Aguiñaga, S., Bustamante, E. E., Lamar, M., & Marquez, D. X. (2022). Association of physical activity levels and brain white matter in older Latino adults. Ethnicity and Health, 27(7), 1599-1615. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2021.1913484