Asset and Health Dynamics among the Oldest (AHEAD), Waves 1 & 2

DESCRIPTION: The Study of Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old and its companion the Health and Retirement Study, are sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and are collected by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan . The AHEAD study provides data to address a broad range of scientific questions focused on the interplay of resources and late-life health transitions. It is a national panel study with an initial sample size of 7,447 aged 70+ and their spouses, (regardless of age). Wave 1 was collected with in-home interviews in 1993-1994 and Wave 2 was completed by telephone interviews in 1996. The study oversamples (100%) Hispanics, Blacks, and Florida residents.

Topics covered in the study include: cognitive performance; physical and functional health; economic status (assets and income); claims on transfer programs and contingent claims; dissaving and Medicaid eligibility; family structure, caregiving, and financial transfers; demographic characteristics; housing (including access to services); service use (community and nursing home); out-of-pocket costs for all services. In addition, experimental modules, which cover a variety of additional topics, are added to each wave of data collection. A list of module topics by wave can be viewed on the HRS/AHEAD website.

In 1998 the AHEAD and the HRS were combined into a single data collection effort - called the Revised Health and Retirement Study. The new study included Wave 3 of AHEAD and Wave 4 of HRS. Two new cohorts were added in 1998: Children of the Depression (CODA), persons born in 1924 through 1931; War Baby (WB), persons born in 1942 through 1947. The initial sample size was 22,000. In 2004, an Early Baby Boomers cohort was added. The Revised HRS is representative of the U.S. population aged 50 and older. The merger preserves the original AHEAD and HRS cohort linkages, permitting longitudinal analysis over all interview years. Waves 4-6 of the HRS use this new revised design. Wave 7 is currently being collected.

CODEBOOKS: Codebooks with frequencies are available on the local area network (T:\Public\Data\AHEAD). There are multiple codebooks for each wave. The Table of Contents describes the content of each codebook. Codebooks and questionnaires can also be obtained from the HRS website.

DATA: You must register to use the AHEAD/HRS data. You can register and obtain the data online at the HRS website . Data from Waves 1-2 are also available on cd from the CFDR office but you must first register online before we can distribute the data to you. Restricted data, which provide additional SSA Administrative information, geographic and health care information are available. Information about the approval process is available online. The RAND Center for the Study of Aging maintains a user-friendly data file derived from all waves of the HRS and AHEAD. The file is longitudinal and includes additional variables constructed by RAND researchers. You can access this file online ( http://www.rand.org/labor/aging/dataprod/index.html ) after registering to use the data on the HRS website.

LIST OF FREQUENCIES : Frequencies are available for all variables and waves in the codebooks on the local area network (T:\Public\Data\HRS).

WEBLINKS: Additional information about the study is available at the HRS website and from theRAND Center for the Study of Aging.

UPCOMING RELEASES: Technical Documentation and Errata regarding the public release files are posted on the above website as they become available.