Invitation for Proposed Supplemental Modules for the 2012 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS)
July 18, 2011
The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) is a new national study of functioning in later life. The NHATS is being conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, with data collection by Westat, and support from the National Institute on Aging. NHATS provides a basis for understanding trends and trajectories in late-life functioning, how these differ for various population subgroups, and the economic and social consequences of aging and disability for individuals, families, and society.
More information about NHATS is available online at http://www.nhats.org/. The Round 1 instruments and documentation will be available on this site within three weeks from this announcement.
The NHATS design incorporates the opportunity for researchers to propose brief supplemental data collection modules for inclusion in each annual wave of the survey. This announcement invites submission of ideas for supplemental modules to be included in the 2012 wave of the NHATS.
Modules should be brief, no more than 3 minutes in length. We anticipate including 3 to 4 modules at each wave. Sample size available for a module will vary depending on the number of modules included in a wave but will generally range from 2,000 to 3,000. Modules are administered at the end of the NHATS interview.
In general, sample persons will be randomly assigned to modules in advance of the interview. Consideration will be given to requests for assignment to a module based on a sample person's response to one or more questions earlier in the survey instrument. A strong rationale for this type of nonrandom selection must be provided. Sample persons will be assigned to one module only.
Submissions for proposed modules should include the following:
- Brief summary of the topic and rationale for its inclusion in NHATS (one page or less)
- Overview of variables that the module will try to measure
- References to recent publications on the topic
- Any survey instruments, scales or other measurement tools that have been used to examine the topic (if any)
The NHATS leadership team will select modules and identify a team member to work in partnership with researchers whose modules are selected to develop the module for administration. Modules will be selected by October 1, 2011. The module must be in final form by October 31, 2011.
Proposals should be sent by September 15, 2011 to Judith Kasper (jkasper@jhsph.edu) Principal Investigator of the NHATS.