NHATS National Health and Aging Trends Study - onetomapanalytics/Meta_Data GitHub Wiki

NHATS - National Health and Aging Trends Study

General description

  1. Database primary purpose - Collect detailed information on the disablement process and its consequences for Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 or older, aiming to foster research to reduce disability, maximize independent functioning, and enhance the quality of life at older ages.
  2. Overall data type - Health outcomes
  3. Dataset type - Longitudinal
  4. Data source - Interview
  5. Data level - Patient level
  6. Geographic location of the data collection sites - United States
  7. Sponsor, manager, or home institution - National Institute on Aging
  8. Date range - 2011 - 2020
  9. Geolocation data - City and state; state or country of birth
  10. Dates - Month and year of birth; year moved to U.S. (foreign-born)
  11. Longitudinal tracking - Track patients through the unique variable "Sample Person ID"
  12. Financial variables - Payment schedule, amount of last paycheck, amount earned last month; payment amounts in last month (Social Security, SSI, VA, pension)
  13. Clinical areas of interest - all
  14. Variables that are uniquely present in this dataset - The NHATS is a unique national resource for the scientific study of functioning in later life.
  15. Other - NHATS Restricted Data Repository hosts all other NHATS restricted data, including NHATS and NSOC geographic data and other external data files linked to NHATS. Details on files available and procedures for applying for access are at data access site

Applicable methods

  1. Association methods, such as linear regression (1, 2), logistic regression models (3, 4), Cox proportional hazards regression (5), Poisson regression (6)
  2. Bivariate analysis (7)
  3. Machine learning (8)
  4. Propensity score (9, 10)
  5. Sensitivity analysis (11, 12)
  6. Structural equation models (13, 14)
  7. Time-to-event (15)
  8. Univariate analysis (16)

High-impact designs

  • Evaluate the association between neighborhood characteristics and caregivers' depressive symptoms (1)

  • Enrichment of the NHATS dataset through linkage to the Medicare assessment files (2, 17, 18, 19, 20)

  • Develop and validate a mortality prediction model (5)

  • Evaluate the association of co-occurring dementia and self-reported visual impairment on daily functioning (6)

  • Assess how family caregiver training needs affect the number and type of home health visits received (9)

  • Exame the mediating role of social isolation in the relationship between self-reported sensory difficulty and impaired cognitive functioning (13)

  • Evaluate social contact and mood symptoms among homebound older adults (21)

  • Examine the causal impact of spousal death on Medicare costs and use over time (22)

  • Evaluate if financial problems in cancer survivors are associated with distress and reduced quality of life (23)

  • Assess how the size and composition of care networks change with multimorbidity (24)

  • Identify factors associated with participation restriction in mid-life caregivers (25)

  • Describe NHATS cohort profile (26)

  • Evaluate whether social isolation is associated with disability and mortality after critical illness (27)

  • Examine the age-specific prevalence of functional dual sensory impairment (28)

  • Assess whether home health agencies incur significantly higher care delivery costs for patients with cognitive impairment (29)

  • Examine the association between organized social activity, walking exercise, and insomnia symptoms (30)

  • Evaluate the association of vision loss with cognition (31)

  • Assess the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and decline in function, cognition, and mental health after critical illness (32)

Data dictionary

To access NHATS data dictionary, click here

Variable categories

  1. Patient demographics (e.g., age, sex, marital status, children, living siblings)
  2. Patient environment (e.g., housing type; physical structure of residence; technology, such as cell phone and computer)
  3. Health conditions (e.g., self-rated health, sleep quality, chronic conditions)
  4. Impairments and capacity (e.g., collection of dried blood spots, ability to walk and stairs climb, overall memory rating, hearing, vision, pain)
  5. Activities and participation (e.g., going outside the home; driving yourself; able to perform daily activities, such as laundry, grocery shopping, and handling bills)
  6. Treatment and self-care (e.g., rehabs, hospital stays and surgeries, depression, anxiety)
  7. Compensatory strategies (e.g., shower seat, raised toilet/grab bars, cane, walker, wheelchair, scooter)
  8. Economic and social consequences (e.g., frequency of feelings in last month, credit card, financial transfers, food stamps)

Linkage to other datasets

  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data linked to NHATS can be obtained by qualified researchers. Details on files available and procedures for applying are at data acess