Welcome Researchers

This website provides researchers access to data, documentation and other resources for the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). If you are an NHATS or NSOC participant, please visit www.mynhats.org.

Welcome Researchers

This website provides researchers access to data, documentation and other resources for the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). If you are an NHATS or NSOC participant, please visit www.mynhats.org.

About NHATS & NSOC

Begun in 2011, the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) conducts annual in-person interviews with a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 or older. Designed as a platform for scientific study of late-life disability trends and trajectories, NHATS fosters research to reduce disability, maximize independent functioning, and enhance quality of life at older ages. Online dashboards and a companion chartbook track trends. The supplemental National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) is conducted periodically to provide the perspective of family and friends who help older adults experiencing limitations in daily life. Support for NHATS and NSOC is provided by the National Institute on Aging.

Announcements

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New Online Course for Beginners5/20/2022

NHATS has created an online course for beginners, available through the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA).

This self-paced set of modules is designed for researchers who are learning to use the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). There is an optional module for learning to use the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). 

The workshop is organized into three sections that take approximately 4-5 hours altogether to complete: Getting to know NHATS; Learning to use NHATS; and Using NHATS.
  
To register, please visit https://nhats.org/researcher/nhats/videos.

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New Procedures for Requesting and Accessing NHATS-CMS Linked Data5/19/2022

New procedures for obtaining restricted NHATS-CMS linked files have been posted. NHATS-CMS linked data files will now be made available through the Health and Aging Data (HaAD) Enclave.  A few key changes:
   •    The HaAD Enclave is accessible from the applicant's institution or other specified location; research teams may share directories across institutions
   •    DUAs will be required with JHU and NIA (rather than CMS); Federal funding is no longer required to apply
   •    Claims and assessment files are available through 2021 with more timely and frequent updates expected than in the past
   •    Output will be reviewed by NHATS for disclosure risk before removal from the enclave  
For more information, please see "Obtaining CMS Data for the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS)". 
 

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NHATS/NSOC 2024 Virtual Workshops2/20/2024

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.

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NSOC IV (Rd 12) Final Data Released12/13/2023

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.
 

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NHATS Round 12 Final Data Released12/12/2023

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. 

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