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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.

The study is comprised of interviews from 227 Hispanic males aged 45 or older living in the area of Houston, Texas to address the gaps in knowledge on the social factors and health consequences of injection heroin use among aging Mexican American males. Specifically, the study investigated how the life course transitions of incarceration and drug treatment and drug abuse and family trajectories affect both the heroin career status and health consequences of these aging Mexican American men.

The study used a cross-sectional, field-intensive outreach methodology augmented with respondent-driven sampling. Recruitment was focused in two Houston neighborhoods that are predominantly Mexican American areas with high rates of crime, poverty, and psychosocial challenges. Trained Outreach Specialists familiar with these communities identified community gatekeepers and gained their trust through continued presence in the community and ongoing dialogue about the study. These gatekeepers then helped identify individuals meeting the inclusion criteria: Mexican American men aged 45 years or older with a history of injection drug use for at least 3 years. The men were then classified into one of three groups: current injectors (current group), former injectors not in treatment (former group), or former injectors currently enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTP group).

The second part is a second survey asking questions about social networks the respondent participates in. Questions ask the respondent to answer on one individual in their network and answer questions about that person and their interaction with them. Questions include basic demographics, history injecting drugs and sexual contact with the person.

The Hispanic EPESE provides data on risk factors for mortality and morbidity in older Mexican Americans in order to contrast how these factors operate differently than in non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, and other major ethnic groups.

The Wave 9 dataset comprises the eighth follow-up of the baseline Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly, 1993-1994: [Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas] (ICPSR 2851). The baseline Hispanic EPESE collected data on a representative sample of community-dwelling Mexican Americans, aged 65 years and older, residing in the five Southwestern states of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

The public-use data covers demographic characteristics (age, sex, type of Hispanic race, income, education, marital status, number of children, employment, and religion), height, weight, social and physical functioning, chronic conditions, related health problems, health behaviors, self-reported use of dental, hospital, and nursing home services, and depression. Subsequent follow-ups allow examination of the predictors of mortality, changes in health outcomes, institutionalization, changes in living arrangements, as well as changes in life situations and quality of life.

During this 9th Wave (Dataset 1), 2016, 480 re-interviews were conducted either in person or by proxy, with 283 of the original respondents interviewed in 1993-1994. This Wave also includes 197 re-interviews from the 902 new respondents added at Wave 5 in 2004-2005. All respondents were aged 85 and over at Wave 9.

The Wave 9 Informant Interviews dataset (Dataset 2) includes data from interviews with 460 respondents who provided information on themselves as well as the older respondents. The older respondents were asked to provide the name and contact information of the person they are "closer to" or they "depend on the most for help." These INFORMANTS, many of whom provide caregiving support to the older respondents, were contacted, and interviewed regarding the health, function, social situation, finances, and general well-being of the older Hispanic EPESE respondents. Information was also collected on the informant's health, function, and caregiver responsibilities and burden. This dataset includes information from the 460 informants, more than two-thirds of whom were children of the respective respondents. Thus, there are 460 respondent-informant dyads that provide opportunities for caregiving research.