The health of older adults is influenced by many factors. One of the least understood is the role that social support and personal relationships may play in healthy aging. The National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) is the first population-based study of health and social factors on a national scale, aiming to understand the well-being of older, community-dwelling Americans by examining the interactions among physical health, illness, medication use, cognitive function, emotional health, sensory function, health behaviors, and social connectedness. It is designed to provide health providers, policy makers, and individuals with useful information and insights into these factors, particularly on social and intimate relationships. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC), along with Principal Investigators at the University of Chicago, conducted more than 3,000 interviews during 2005 and 2006 with a nationally representative sample of adults aged 57 to 85. Face-to-face interviews and biomeasure collection took place in respondents' homes. Wave 2 interviews were conducted from August 2010 through May 2011, during which Wave 1 respondents were re-interviewed. An attempt was also made to interview individuals who were sampled in Wave 1 but declined to participate. In addition, spouses or co-resident partners were also interviewed using the same instruments as the main respondents. This process resulted in 3,377 total respondents. The following files constitute Wave 2: Core Data, Social Networks Data, Social Networks Update Data, Partner History Data, Partner History Update Data, and Disposition of Wave 1 Partner Data.
Included in the Core file (Part 1) are demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, education, race, and ethnicity. Other topics covered respondents' social networks, social and cultural activity, physical and mental health including cognition, well-being, illness, history of sexual and intimate partnerships and patient-physician communication, in addition to bereavement items. In addition data was collected from respondents on the following items and modules: social activity items, physical contact module, sexual interest module, get up and go assessment of physical function and a panel of biomeasures including, weight, waist circumference, height, blood pressure, smell, saliva collection, taste, and a self-administered vaginal swab for female respondents. The Social Networks file (Part 2) contains one record for each person identified on the network roster. Respondents who refused to participate in the roster or who did not identify anyone are not represented in this file. The Social Networks Update file (Part 3) details respondents' current relationship status with each person identified on the network roster. The Partner History file (Part 4) contains one record for each marriage, cohabitation, or romantic relationship identified in Section 6A of the questionnaire, including a current partner in Wave 2 but excluding the partner from Wave 1. The Partner History Update file (Part 5) details respondents' current sexual partner information, as well as marital and cohabiting status. Lastly, the Disposition of Wave 1 Partner file (Part 6) details information derived from Section 6A items regarding the partner from Wave 1 within the questionnaire. This provides a complete history for respondent partners across both waves.
K1 Aging K1 Anxiety K1 Attitudes K1 biomeasures K1 body height K1 body weight K1 demographic characteristics K1 doctor visits K1 Drugs K1 Ethnicity K1 Family size K1 health attitudes K1 health behavior K1 health problems K1 health services utilization K1 health status K1 Illness K1 intimate partners K1 Life Satisfaction K1 medical evaluation K1 medical procedures K1 Menopause K1 Mental Health K1 morbidity K1 Nutrition K1 Older Adults K1 Quality of life K1 Sexual Behavior K1 Social Networks K1 Social Support K1 Forschungsdaten DO 10.3886/ICPSR34921.v1