Announcements

We are pleased to announce that new income imputation files have been released for NHATS and NSOC. We now provide researchers with 20 imputations using an interval regression methodology. To obtain the new imputation files, please redownload the data zip files. New technical papers describing the imputation methodology have been posted (and prior technical papers archived).

Additionally, value labels were corrected for the Part 1 interview mode variable (r11dpt1mode) on the NHATS Round 11 Sample Person (SP) file. Researchers working with this variable should redownload the file. The NHATS User Guide has also been updated to include an issue identified in Round 12 in how missing values were treated for interviewer observations about the home environment.

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) will host two hands-on virtual workshops this summer. The NHATS workshop will be held June 24 -26, 2024 and the NSOC workshop will be held July 29-31, 2024. Applications are due May 20, 2024. More details are available here.

We are pleased to share that new NHATS Polygenic Scores (PGS) files are now available. The files include polygenic scores for a variety of phenotypes for NHATS participants who provided dried blood spot-based DNA in Round 7. Please see the “National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Polygenic Scores User Guide” for more details on the construction of the scores.

The PGS files are sensitive. For information on applying for these data, please see “Obtaining Sensitive Data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study”.

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 2024. The NHATS workshop will occur online June 24 -26, 2024, and the NSOC workshop will occur online July 29 - 31, 2024. 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.

Final versions of the NSOC IV (Rd 12) data files are now available. Data files are available in SAS and Stata formats. Users may 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, including a revised User Guide, crosswalk between the instruments and the codebook, crosswalk of changes from the beta to final versions, and a new technical paper on weighting also are available. An auxiliary income imputation file and technical paper will be released in January 2024.
 

A final version of the NHATS Round 12 data files is now available. Data files are available in both SAS and Stata formats. 

This data release contains a new income imputation file, a tablet activities file, which includes objective vision and hearing assessments and Cogstate cognitive activities, and three accelerometry files (detailed, summary, and tracker).

In 2022/2023, the NHATS sample was replenished to maintain its ability to represent the older Medicare population. This replenishment includes an additional group of Hispanic Medicare enrollees to facilitate study of health disparities. 

Updated final documentation includes: 
•         Revised User Guides,
•         Instruments, 
•         Crosswalk between the instruments and the codebook,
•         And crosswalk of changes between the beta and final versions. 

Purpose
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 abstracts for conference papers and posters. The goal of this conference is to bring together scholars working with NHATS and/or NSOC who are interested in family, unpaid, and paid care for older adults living with dementia. The conference will be held June 19-20, 2024 in Ann Arbor. We expect to accept approximately 8-10 papers and 8-10 posters and are making plans to invite presenters to submit papers to a special issue. Early career researchers are especially encouraged to apply.

Focus of Conference
We welcome abstracts from a variety of disciplines and perspectives. Papers may compare care for older adults with and without dementia or focus on care for recipients living with dementia.  Topics may include, for instance, the effect of care on older adult’s or caregiver’s health and wellbeing, interactions between family and paid caregiving, inequities in access to dementia care, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on caregiving, or the economics of dementia care. Papers that highlight dual perspectives (e.g., using NHATS and NSOC), multiple caregivers (e.g., network focused), the longitudinal features of the data (e.g., using multiple rounds), or contextual linkages to NHATS and/or NSOC are of particular interest.  

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:  January 15, 2024

For further details please see the call for abstracts or the abstract submission portal.

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan invites applications for an ISR tenure-track Research Assistant Professor position in its Survey Research Center (SRC). The Research Assistant Professor will lead and collaborate on externally funded projects related to aging, disability, dementia, and care and will lead dissemination-related activities for the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). NHATS and NSOC are co-led by faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. NHATS and NSOC foster research to guide efforts to reduce disability, maximize health and independent functioning, and enhance quality of life of older adults and their families. The position is located in Ann Arbor, MI and begins summer 2024, contingent on funding. For the full job description and instructions on how to apply please visit Interfolio at http://apply.interfolio.com/133292. Questions or inquiries may be directed to srcsearches@umich.edu.

We are pleased to share that new Long-Term Care Market Measures (LTCMM) are available to link to NHATS and NSOC in the NHATS Restricted Data Repository. The LTCMM files include county-level market measures reflecting the availability of long-term care services and supports in the United States. This release includes measures for 2010 through 2020. Please see the “National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Long-Term Care Market Measures User Guide” for more details.

For information about accessing the files, see "Obtaining National Health and Aging Trends Study Restricted Data from the NHATS Restricted Data Repository".

Please join us for the 2023-2024 NHATS/NSOC 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 NHATS Round 12 data files is now available. Data files are available in both SAS and Stata formats. 

This data release contains a tablet activities file, which includes objective vision and hearing assessments and Cogstate cognitive activities, and three accelerometry files (detailed, summary, and tracker).

The user is cautioned that there may be inconsistencies and/or errors in the beta data release that will be addressed before releasing the final files. Users are encouraged to document issues that they find in an email to NHATSdata@westat.com.

In Round 12, the NHATS sample was replenished to maintain its ability to represent the older Medicare population. This replenishment includes an additional group of Hispanic Medicare enrollees to facilitate study of health disparities. 

Updated documentation includes: 
•    Revised User Guides,
•    Instruments, and
•    Crosswalk between the instruments and the codebook.

A beta version of the NSOC IV (Rd 12) 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. 

The user is cautioned that there may be inconsistencies and/or errors in the beta data release that will be addressed before releasing the final files. Users are encouraged to document issues that they find in an email to NHATSdata@westat.com.

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

The NHATS online dashboards and companion chartbook have been updated through 2021 to describe trends in late-life functioning of the US Medicare population ages 72 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.

Restricted data documents have been updated to reflect newly available files and access procedures. New data files include genetics, distance, and other geographic data files. 

The TRENDS Network at the University of Michigan seeks manuscripts on the topic of dementia and population health trends for an upcoming Supplemental Issue in the Medical Sciences section of the Journal of Gerontology: Series A. We are interested in research from a broad array of scientific disciplines including those within public health, the social sciences, and the clinical sciences.

Several priority areas have been identified:

1. Leveraging of national health surveys (e.g. NHATS) or large-scale electronic health records/medical claims to understand trends in dementia or dementia care in the United States

2. International comparisons of dementia or dementia care trends

3. COVID-19 and dementia or dementia care trends

4. Interrelations between changing family demography and future care for older adults with dementia.

The deadline for manuscripts is October 1, 2023. Authors will submit their manuscript through the Journal’s ScholarOne submission website https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jgms.  Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee the manuscript will be accepted for publication. Authors wishing to validate interest in a manuscript for this Special Issue may email a title and abstract to the Guest Editor, Neil Mehta (nemehta@utmb.edu) directly. Questions can also be directed to Neil Mehta.

Authors are advised to carefully read and follow formatting directions detailed in the Author Guidelines for the Medical Sciences section of The Journals of Gerontology, Series A. When selecting manuscript type, select Supplement Article.
 

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has released a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to encourage the use of existing cohorts and datasets, like NHATS, in aging research.  Proposed research topics should focus on health across the lifespan, disease and disability in older adults, or changes in the biology of aging that impact health. The full NOSI can be found here.

The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) has awarded NHATS and NSOC the 2023 Policy Impact Award. The award recognizes “outstanding research that has had a clear impact on improving policy decisions, practice and discourse, either in the public or private sectors.”

A special thank you to our registered users whose research is improving policy, practice, and discourse related to aging, late-life disability, and family care.

NHATS has released updated dementia classification code for Rounds 1-11 in SAS, Stata and R. The new code allows users to classify NHATS participants with probable, possible, and no dementia over multiple rounds with minimal editing. Please see the Dementia Classification with Programming Statements  zip file for the new code.

For the latest NHATS/NSOC news, follow us on social media:
 LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/nhats-nsoc/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NHATS_NSOC      
Mastodon: https://sciences.social/@NHATS_NSOC
 

NHATS/NSOC will be at the PAA 2023 Annual Meeting. 
•    Stop by and see us at the NHATS/NSOC booth 
•    Come find NHATS/NSOC at the Welcome Reception 
•    Email nhatshelp@umich.edu if you are presenting research using      NHATS or NSOC so we can share on social media.