Principal Investigators:James S. House, Ph.D.Paula M. Lantz, Ph.D.

Original Team at U-M :◦ James House◦ James Lepkowski, Ron Kessler, Regula Herzog et

al.

Funded by NIA (NIH) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

To increase understanding of how individual, household and contextual socioeconomic and psychosocial factors combine to create health and health disparities across the adult life course.

Driven by societal goals:◦ Reducing social inequalities in health◦ Postponing morbidity and functional limitations

into closing years of the life span (compression of morbidity)

Longitudinal cohort study Stratified multistage area probability

sample:◦ Age 25 and older (non-institutionalized)◦ Contiguous U.S.◦ Over-sampled 2:1 people 60+ and Blacks

Representative of July, 1986 U.S. population by sex, age and region

1986 Face-to-face interviews (~86 minutes)N=3,617Response rate: 70% households

68% individuals

1989 Face-to-face interviews N=2,867Response rate: 83% of survivors

1994Telephone InterviewsN=2,562Response rate: 83% of survivors

2001-2002Telephone InterviewsN=1,787Response rate: 77% of survivors

MortalitySelf-rated health (5 category)Functional impairment (physical)Chronic ConditionsCognitive impairmentDepressive symptoms

Annual searches using National Death IndexProbable matches are certified with death

certificates from statesCause of death coded from death certificates

(ICD-9 and ICD-10)

Death by Wave 4: 1,184 respondents32.7% of weighted sample21.4% of unweighted sample

Wave 1:Excellent/Very good 64.2%Good 20.6%Fair/Poor 15.2%

No limitation 84.7% (weighted)

Difficult/unable to do heavywork around house (Low) 6.8%

Difficult/unable to climb stairsor walk a few blocks (Moderate) 5.3%

Confined to bed or chair (Severe) 3.2%

Life Threatening and Debilitating

0 46.6% (weighted)

1 26.0%2 14.5%3 7.7%4+ 5.4%

Income R and spouse Education Wave 1 only Wealth Work status Occupation

Sociodemographics

Variable Weighted %

MaleFemale

47.1%52.9%

WhiteOther

83.5%16.5%

Education: 0-11 years 12-15 years 16+ years

25.6%54.7%14.7%

Income: <$10,000 $10,000 – 29,999 $30,000+

19.2%40.5%40.3%

Cigarette smoking Alcohol use Body Mass Index Physical Activity

Variable Weighted %

Smoking: Current Former Never

30.4%27.5%42.1%

Alcohol: None Moderate High

41.2%54.5% 4.3%

BMI: Underweight Normal Overweight Obese

2.3%49.0%34.3%14.4%

Social integration (informal and formal) Life Satisfaction Social Relationships and Supports Marital Relationships and Events Personality Traits Productive Activities Paid/Unpaid Work

Stress: job, financial, marital, parental Negative Life Events Religion and World Views Perceptions of Discrimination Physical/Social Environment Residential History

Non-public at this point Addresses at all 4 waves geocoded and

linked to ◦ 60+ census tract variables for Census before

and after wave◦ Environmental Protection Agency Toxic Release

Inventory (TRI) geocoded data of polluting and hazardous waste business es and sites

Burgard SA. Brand JE. House JS. Toward a better estimation of the effect of job loss on health. Journal of Health & Social Behavior. 48(4):369-84, 2007

Herd P. Goesling B. House JS. Socioeconomic position and health: the differential effects of education versus income on the onset versus progression of health problems. Journal of Health & Social Behavior. 48(3):223-38, 2007

Robert SA. Ruel E. Racial segregation and health disparities between Black and White older adults. Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences. 61(4):S203-11, 2006

Lantz PM. House JS. Mero RP. Williams DR. Stress, life events, and socioeconomic disparities in health. Journal of Health & Social Behavior. 46(3):274-88, 2005

House JS. Lantz PM. Herd P. Continuity and change in the social stratification of aging and health over the life course. Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences. 60 Spec No 2:15-26, 2005

Everson-Rose SA. House JS. Mero RP. Depressive symptoms and mortality risk in a national sample: confounding effects of health status. Psychosomatic Medicine. 66(6):823-30, 2004

Shultz KS. Wang M. The influence of specific physical health conditions on retirement decisions. International Journal of Aging & Human Development. 65(2):149-61, 2007

Schnittker J. Look (closely) at all the lonely people: age and the social psychology of social support. Journal of Aging & Health. 19(4):659-82, 2007

Hinterlong JE. Race disparities in health among older adults: examining the role of productive engagement. Health & Social Work. 31(4):275-88, 2006 Nov.

Burr JA. Choi NG. Mutchler JE. Caro FG. Caregiving and volunteering: are private and public helping behaviors linked? Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences. 60(5):S247-56, 2005

Collins AL. Smyer MA. The resilience of self-esteem in late adulthood. Journal of Aging & Health. 17(4):471-89, 2005

McKee SA. Maciejewski PK. Falba T. Mazure CM. Sex differences in the effects of stressful life events on changes in smoking status. Addiction. 98(6):847-55, 2003

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0.100

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25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

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Low EducMed EducHigh Educ