DOI: 10.3886/icpsr34921
title: National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP): Round 2 and Partner Data Collection, [United States], 2010-2011
title: Archival Version

description: 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. Round 2 interviews were conducted from August 2010 through May 2011, during which Round 1 Respondents were re-interviewed. An attempt was also made to interview individuals who were sampled in Round 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 Round 2: Core Data, Disposition of Round 1 Partner Data, Social Networks Data, Social Networks Update Data, Partner History Data, Partner History Update Data, Medications Data, Proxy Data, and Sleep Statistics Data. Included in the Core files (Datasets 1 and 2) 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. Data were also 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, and taste. The Disposition of Round 1 Partner files (Datasets 3 and 4) detail information derived from Section 6A items regarding the partner from Round 1 within the questionnaire. This provides a complete history for respondent partners across both rounds. The Social Networks files (Datasets 5 and 6) contain 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 files (Datasets 7 and 8) detail respondents' current relationship status with each person identified on the network roster. The Partner History file (Dataset 9) contains one record for each marriage, cohabitation, or romantic relationship identified in Section 6A of the questionnaire, including a current partner in Round 2 but excluding the partner from Round 1. The Partner History Update file (Dataset 10) details respondents' current sexual partner information, as well as marital and cohabiting status. The Medications Data file (Dataset 11) contains records for items listed in the medications log. The Proxy Data files (Datasets 12 and 13) contain information from proxy interviews administered for Round 1 Respondents who were either deceased or whose health was too poor to participate in Round 2. The Sleep Statistics Data files (Dataset 14 and 15) provide information on actigraphy sleep variables. NACDA also maintains a Colectica portal with the NSHAP Core data across rounds 1-3, which allows users to interact with variables across rounds and create customized subsets. Registration is required.
description: In Round 2, the instrument was simplified to facilitate both administration and analysis. Particularly, all questions were asked entirely in the in-person interview or the leave-behind questionnaire, as was not the case for the previous Round 1 study design. In addition, partner history items regarding relationship details and sexual experience were combined into the same modules. As in Round 1, selected biomeasures were administered to a randomized subset of respondents in cases where this provided adequate power for likely analyses. Users may refer to ICPSR 20541, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP): Round 1 for further study design information, as well as the P.I. Documentation and visit the NORC at the University of Chicago Web site.
description: The data are not weighted, but contain two weight variables within the Core Data, which users may wish to apply during analysis. Respondent-level weights representing the inverse probability of selection are contained in the variable WEIGHT_SEL. A second set of weights incorporating a non-response adjustment based on age and urbanicity is contained in the variable WEIGHT_ADJ. Both sets of weights are scaled to sum to the final sample size (3,377). For additional information on weights, please refer to the NORC at the University of Chicago web site. As noted above, in each round there is a variable called WEIGHT_ADJ which is non-missing for all respondents in that round, and which adjusts for differing probabilities of selection as well as differential non-response. These weight variables should be used for all cross-sectional analyses. Please note that the WEIGHT_ADJ variable differs across rounds (since the selection probabilities and non-response vary across rounds). With respect to longitudinal analyses, NSHAP does not yet have a true panel weight (currently in progress). The Round 2 weight variable (WEIGHT_ADJ) should be used for longitudinal analyses until the panel weight is created. The Round 2 weight is non-missing for all but 38 respondents with data for multiple (i.e., at least two) rounds. Thus, this weight is adequate for longitudinal analyses using the subset of respondents with data from Round 2 and/or at least two rounds (this includes many typical longitudinal analyses). It is not advised to use this weight variable for those cases where someone wishes to include those respondents with data from only one round, except for those with data only from Round 2.
description: Response Rates: The overall unconditional response rate for the Round 2 panel was 74 percent; the conditional response rate of Round 1 respondents was 89 percent; the conditional response rate of partners was 84 percent; and the conversion rate for Round 1 nonrespondents was 26 percent. For additional information on response rates, please refer to the NORC at the University of Chicago web site.
description: In Round 2, NSHAP returned to Round 1 Respondents and eligible non-interviewed respondents from Round 1 (Round 1 Non-Interviewed Respondents). The Round 2 sample was also extended to include the cohabiting spouses and romantic partners of Round 1 Respondents and Round 1 Non-Interviewed Respondents. Partners were considered to be eligible to participate in NSHAP if they resided in the household with Round 1 Respondent/Round 1 Non-Interviewed Respondent at the time of the Round 2 interview and were at least 18 years of age. In order to restrict inferences to the population of Round 1 age-eligible, analysts may use the variable AGEELIG in the Round 2 Core Data file. Researchers wishing to compute design-based variance estimates may use the variables STRATUM and CLUSTER. These variables were constructed from the original sampling units for the purpose of variance estimation; the former may be treated as (pseudo) strata and the latter as (pseudo) Primary Sampling Units (PSUs). Users may refer to ICPSR 20541, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP): Round 1 for further sampling information, as well as the P.I. Documentation and visit the NORC at the University of Chicago Web site.
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Core Data, Public-Use DS2: Core Data, Restricted-Use DS3: Disposition of Round 1 Partner Data, Public-Use DS4: Disposition of Round 1 Partner Data, Restricted-Use DS5: Social Networks Data, Public-Use DS6: Social Networks Data, Restricted-Use DS7: Social Networks Update Data, Public-Use DS8: Social Networks Update Data, Restricted-Use DS9: Partner History Data, Restricted-Use DS10: Partner History Update Data, Restricted-Use DS11: Medications Data, Restricted-Use DS12: Proxy Data, Public-Use DS13: Proxy Data, Restricted-Use DS14: Sleep Statistics Data, Public-Use DS15: Sleep Statistics Data, Restricted-Use DS16: Original NSHAP Round 2 Stata Public-Use Data Files DS17: Original NSHAP Round 2 Stata Restricted-Use Data Files
description: Community-dwelling individuals ages 57-85, Round 1 Respondents, and eligible non-interviewed respondents from Round 1 (Round 1 Non-Interviewed Respondents). Cohabiting spouses and romantic partners of Round 1 Respondents and Round 1 Non-Interviewed Respondents living within the household, age 18 years or older. Smallest Geographic Unit: State
description: computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI); computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI); coded on-site observation; face-to-face interview; mixed mode; self-enumerated questionnaire; telephone interviewThis collection is being released in seventeen parts: Datasets 1 through 15 contain the ICPSR-processed files; Dataset 16 contains the original Public-Use Stata data files with extended and nonextended missing values provided by the P.I. in a zip file package. Dataset 17 contains the original Restricted-Use Stata data files provided by the P.I. in a zip file package.The Core Data (Datasets 1 and 2), Disposition of Round 1 Partner Data (Datasets 3 and 4), Social Networks Data (Datasets 5 and 6), Social Networks Update Data (Datasets 7 and 8), Proxy Data (Datasets 12 and 13), and Sleep Statistics Data (Datasets 14 and 15) are available as both Public- and Restricted-Use. The Partner History Data (Dataset 9), Partner History Update Data (Dataset 10), and Medications Data (Dataset 11) are only available as Restricted-Use.Please refer to the related data collections ICPSR 20541, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP): Round 1 and ICPSR 36873, National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP): Round 3 for further information regarding the NSHAP project.For further information about the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), please see the NORC at the University of Chicago Web site.Users can subscribe to the NSHAP data mailing list by emailing nshap-data@lists.uchicago.eduThe identification variable SU_ID can be used to link the agency records across the rounds of the survey.The grant numbers have been updated as of September 2019; users citing the NSHAP data should ensure their citations are up to date.As of February 2021, the NSHAP Team has agreed upon a new standardized terminology to refer to the timepoints at which NSHAP data are collected. Authors of publications, proposals, and other materials using NSHAP data are asked to adopt this terminology moving forward. Please note that some ICPSR study materials reflect the previous terminology, updates are pending. The term "Round" will refer to each of NSHAP's major periodic data collection efforts: Round 1 [R1], conducted in 2005-06; Round 2 [R2], conducted in 2010-11; Round 3 [R3], conducted in 2015-16; Round 4 [R4], will be conducted in 2021-22. Refer to the NACDA site announcement about the change for more details.