Sensory Aging Series

collection: series

Studies

1

Variables

11,357

Publications

581

About this Collection

The Sensory Aging Series is intended to promote discoverability of publically available datasets on aging that contain measures of sensory function. These data can be used to study the role of sensory function on health, disability, and economic well-being in older adults. The Sensory Aging Series is maintained by the SENSE Network (www.sensenetwork.org), an international network supporting research examining the role of sensory functioning - vision, hearing, olfaction, touch, taste, and vestibular function - on health and aging. The SENSE Network’s metadata projects, including the Sensory Aging Series, are supported by the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA) through a grant from the National Institute on Aging (P30AG012846). 

The studies associated with this series have been identified as having variables which represent measures of sensory health. Data users should refer to each study’s documentation and methodology to determine the most appropriate way to utilize the data. 

This SENSE Series page is a work in progress with additional studies under continuous review and will be updated periodically.

 

A: Subjective and objective measures

B: Subjective measures only

C: Objective measures only

*: Inclusive of MIDUS sub-studies

**: First year with sensory topics

Topics Explored in Sensory Aging Series Data Collections
  Sensory Topics Explored in These Data Collections
Study Start Year Country Sampling Frame Age Group Hearing Vision Taste Touch Smell Vestibular Sensory Health Services
Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) 1986 United States U.S. Population 25+ X-B X-B         X
Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 1992 U.S. Population 50+ X-A X-B         X
Midlife in the United States* (MIDUS) 1995 U.S. Population 25-74 X-A X-A         X
National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) 2005 U.S. Population 57+ X-B X-A X-A X-A X-A   X
National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) 2011 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65+ 65+ X-B X-B       X-C X
Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging  (SALSA) 1996 Latinos in Sacramento, CA 60+ X-B X-B       X-C X
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 1996** U.S. Population 15+ X-B X-B         X

 

Studies

1 results
Partially restricted

Americans' Changing Lives: Waves I, II, III, IV, V, and VI, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2002, 2011, and 2021

The Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) survey series is an ongoing, nationally representative, longitudinal study focusing especially on differences between Black and White Americans in middle and late life. These data constitute the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth waves in a panel survey covering a wide range of sociological, psychological, mental, and physical health items. Wave I of the study began in 1986 with a nation face-to-face survey of 3,617 adults ages 25 and up, with Black Americans and people aged 60 and over over-sampled at twice the rate of the others. Wave II constitutes face-to-face re-interviews in 1989 of those still alive. Survivors have been re-interviewed by telephone, and when necessary face-to-face, in 1994 (Wave III), 2001/02 (Wave IV), 2011 (Wave V), and 2019/21 (Wave VI).

Please note that for Wave VI, the majority of data collection occurred in 2019, with only a small subset (n=39) of participants surveyed in 2021.

ACL was designed and sought to investigate the following: (1) The ways in which a wide range of activities and social relationships that people engage in are broadly "productive," (2) how individuals adapt to acute life events and chronic stresses that threaten the maintenance of health, effective functioning, and productive activity, and (3) sociocultural variations in the nature, meaning, determinants, and consequences of productive activity and relationships. Among the topics covered are interpersonal relationships (spouse/partner, children, parents, friends), sources and levels of satisfaction, social interactions and leisure activities, traumatic life events (physical assault, serious illness, divorce, death of a loved one, financial or legal problems), perceptions of retirement, health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight, rest), and utilization of health care services (doctor visits, hospitalization, nursing home institutionalization, bed days). Also included are measures of physical health, psychological well-being, and indices referring to cognitive functioning.

Demographic information provided for individuals includes household composition, number of children and grandchildren, employment status, occupation and work history, income, family financial situation, religious beliefs and practices, ethnicity, race, education, sex, and region of residence.

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