The NSHAP is a longitudinal, population-based study of health and social factors, aiming to understand the well-being of older, community-dwelling Americans by examining the interactions among physical health and illness, medication use, cognitive function, emotional health, sensory function, health behaviors, social connectedness, sexuality, and relationship quality. By eliciting a variety of information from respondents over time, it provides data that will allow researchers in a number of fields to examine how specific factors may or may not affect each other across the life course.
In 2005 and 2006, NORC and Principal Investigators at the University of Chicago conducted the first wave of NSHAP, completing more than 3,000 interviews with a nationally representative sample of adults aged 57 to 85. In 2010 and 2011, nearly 3,400 interviews were completed for Wave 2 with these Wave 1 Respondents, Wave 1 Non-Interviewed Respondents, and their spouses or cohabiting romantic partners. The second wave of NSHAP is essential to understanding how social and biological characteristics change. NSHAP.
For both waves, data collection included three measurements: in-home interviews, biomeasures, and leave-behind respondent-administered questionnaires. The face-to-face interviews and biomeasure collection took place in respondents’ homes.
Download wave 2 data files here
Instructions and support materials are here