Announcements

Final versions of the NHATS Round 11 data files are now available. Data files are available in both SAS and Stata formats. 
The final data release includes new features added in Round 11: 
•    Questions about COVID-19 illness and vaccination,
•    A tablet activities file, which includes objective vision and hearing assessments and Cogstate cognitive activities, and 
•    Three accelerometry files (detailed, summary, and tracker)
Updated documentation (with SAS, Stata, and new R code), including revised User Guides, FAQ, crosswalks between the instruments and the codebook, crosswalks of changes from the beta to final versions, and new technical papers on weighting and income imputation also are available. 
 

Final versions of the NSOC IV (Rd 11) data files are now available. Data files are available in SAS and Stata formats. Users may now apply for access to these files under NHATS’ sensitive data procedures. To apply, please visit https://nhats.org/researcher/data-access/sensitive-data-files?id=nsoc_other_sensitive_files. 
Updated documentation (with SAS, Stata, and new R code), including revised User Guides, FAQ, crosswalks between the instruments and the codebook, crosswalks of changes from the beta to final versions, and new technical papers on weighting and income imputation also are available.
 

Save the date! The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) will host two virtual workshops in the summer of 2023. The NHATS workshop will occur online June 26 -28, 2023, and the NSOC workshop will occur online July 31- August 2, 2023. Applications will open in early April. The workshop is designed for those with experience using NHATS or NSOC data who are working towards a completed manuscript or proposal. All users are encouraged to complete the NHATS online course for beginners beforehand. The data training portion assumes familiarity with statistical programming (e.g. SAS, STATA, R). Graduate students interested in applying are encouraged to have successfully defended their proposal before the workshop begins. 

The Dementia Classification with Programming Statements technical paper Addendum for Follow up Rounds has been updated to clarify that the code is applicable for all follow-up rounds. Programming statements for rounds 10 and 11, which incorporate changes in the mode/placement of the clock drawing test, are included.

Please join us for the NHATS/NSOC 2022-2023 Webinar Series. Webinars will be held monthly from 12-1 PM (ET) on Fridays via Zoom.  
To receive reminders with login information, please register.

A beta version of the NSOC IV (Rd 11) data files is now available. Data files are available in SAS and Stata formats. Users may now apply for access to these files under NHATS’ sensitive data procedures. 

Updated documentation includes: 
•    A new NSOC IV User Guide, 
•    Instruments, and
•    Crosswalk between the instruments and the codebook. 

Several updates have been made to technical papers. The “Accounting for Sample Design in NHATS and NSOC Analyses: Frequently Asked Questions” guide now includes sample R code. 
The Dementia Classification with Programming Statements technical paper Addendum for Follow up Rounds has been updated to clarify that the code are applicable for Rounds 2-9. Programming statements for Rounds 10 and 11, which will incorporate changes in the mode/placement of the clock drawing test, are forthcoming.
 

Beta versions of the NHATS Round 11 data files are now available. Data files are available in both SAS and Stata formats.

In Round 11, several new features were introduced: 
•    Questions about COVID-19 illness and vaccination,
•    A tablet activities file, which includes objective vision and hearing assessments and Cogstate cognitive activities, and 
•    Three accelerometry files (detailed, summary, and tracker)

Updated documentation includes: 
•    A revised NHATS User Guide, 
•    New user guides for the vision and hearing assessments, Cogstate cognitive activities, and accelerometry data, 
•    Instruments, and
•    Crosswalk between the instruments and the codebook. 

Please join us online for the NHATS/NSOC Dementia Care Conference May 3, 2022.  To receive a link to the conference, please register here. 

The conference will feature scholarly presentations and discussion focused on four dementia care-related topics: Fundamental Caregiving Measurement Issues; Family Care, Paid Care and Unmet Needs; Family Care and the Health Care System; and Family Caregiver Outcomes & Experiences.  

Speakers include: Vicki Freedman (University of Michigan), Mengyao Hu (University of Michigan), I-Fen Lin (Bowling Green State University), Yan Zhang (University of Wisconsin), Jennifer Reckrey (Mount Sinai), Judith Seltzer (UCLA), Claire Ankuda (Mount Sinai), Amanda Leggett (University of Michigan), Jennifer Wolff (Johns Hopkins University), Chanee Fabius (Johns Hopkins University), Emma Zang (Yale University), and Douglas Wolf (Syracuse University). 

The NHATS/NSOC Dementia Care Conference is sponsored by the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging and the National Study of Caregiving, with funding from the National Institute on Aging.
 

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) is now accepting applications for a virtual user workshop to be held June 27-June 29, 2022. The workshop is designed for researchers at any stage interested in a hands-on learning experience to develop a paper or project using NHATS. The course will incorporate the NHATS online course for beginners along with real-time guidance from NHATS faculty and staff. Activities will include modules on the Canvas website, real-time lectures, and breakout sessions. The workshop is free, but space is limited. Applications are due May 15th and participants will be notified by June 1st - apply here. 
 

New NHATS COVID-19 Geographic files are available through the NHATS Restricted Data Repository. This file includes the city, state, county, zip code and census tract of family members or friends who helped the NHATS Sample Person most during the COVID-19 outbreak.

NHATS has joined Twitter! For the latest news on NHATS and NSOC research, please follow us at:  https://twitter.com/NHATS_NSOC

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC), with support from the National Institute on Aging, announce a call for conference papers and poster abstracts. The conference will focus on dementia caregiving and will be held May 2-3, 2022. Plans are being made for an in-person meeting in Ann Arbor with hybrid options for attending. Early career researchers are encouraged to apply.  We expect to accept 10-12 papers and 10-12 posters. Applications are due October 15, 2021. For details, please visit the NHATS/NSOC Dementia Caregiving Conference webpage. 

NHATS is pleased to announce the availability of a new video tutorial describing its COVID-19 supplements. The video is available at https://www.nhats.org/researcher/nhats/videos. We also have released a technical paper describing the weighting process for the supplements.

Final versions of the NHATS Round 10 data files are now available. Data files are available in both SAS and Stata formats. 
Updated documentation, including a revised User Guide, a revised crosswalk between the instruments and the codebook, and a crosswalk of changes from the beta to final version also are available.

Final versions of the NHATS COVID-19 Sample Person (SP) and Family and Friends (FF) files have been released. The SP file is available under Public Use Files and the FF file is available under Sensitive Data Procedures. An updated user guide, variable-instrument crosswalk, and a crosswalk of changes between the beta and final versions are also available.

New 1940 Census files that are linkable to NHATS are available through the NHATS Restricted Data Repository. A description of the files, linkage procedures, and how to access the data can be found in a new user guide.

New online dashboards and a companion chartbook have been published to describe trends in late-life functioning of the US Medicare population ages 70 and older. The dashboards are designed to facilitate understanding by researchers, policymakers and care providers of how daily life is changing for older adults as the US population ages. The companion chart book includes key findings about recent trends with an emphasis on differences by age group, gender, and race and Hispanic ethnicity groups.