Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108IN TROD UCTIO N 12 Occupations and Employment Occupation and employment information col- lected by the HRS covers job characteristics, job mobility, work hours, attitudes toward retirement, employer-provided benefits (including health insurance, pensions, 401(k) plans, and other employer-sponsored saving programs), retirement benefits, and early retirement incentive offers. Health and Health Care The HRS collects information about chronic illness, functional ability, depression, and self- assessed health status, and examines health- related behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use, and exercise. Health care utilization data gathered through the study describe physician visits, hospitalizations, nursing home stays, surgeries, dental care, prescription drug use, use of assistive devices (e.g., eyeglasses and walkers), and receipt of caregiving services, as well as health and long-term care insurance coverage, out-of-pocket medical costs, and receipt of assistance with medical expenses. In the 2006 data collection, the HRS expanded to include biological information about the participants in an updated effort to match biological factors with health and social data. This new effort records participants’ height and weight, measurements of lung function, blood pressure, grip strength, and walking speed. It also collects small samples of blood to measure cholesterol and glycosylated hemoglobin (an indicator of blood sugar control) levels, and DNA from salivary samples for future genetic analyses. Cognition The HRS is unique among large surveys in its use of direct measures of cognition, drawn from established clinical instruments. These measures provide invaluable data on cognitive change with aging and the impact of dementia on families. They have also found new application in studies of economic behavior and survey response patterns. Living and Housing Arrangements The survey explores the relationships between people’s living arrangements and the availability or use of long-term care services such as nursing home residence, services offered to residents living in other housing arrangements, and special housing features for people who are physically impaired. It also gathers data about the type of housing structure in which HRS participants live, housing ownership or financial arrangements, entry fees or association payments, and the sharing of housing with children or others. Demographics and Family Relationships The HRS gathers standard demographic facts such as age, racial/ethnic background, education, marital status and history, and family composi- tion. Among married participants, detailed health and economic information is collected from both spouses. General demographic information about HRS participants’ parents, children, and siblings is also gathered. In addition, survey interviews document the relationships among family mem- bers and the nature of intergenerational family supports, including financial transfers, caregiving, joint housing arrangements, and time spent with family members. How Can the HRS Data Be Used? The research team that designed the HRS made a number of difficult decisions about how many people to include in the survey, whether to survey the same people over time or to survey new participants, how often to conduct interviews, and what questions to include in the interviews. The outcome of these decisions is a “steady state” model that: Is nationally representative of the population over age 50 Follows individuals and their spouses from the time of their entry into the survey until death Introduces a new 6-year cohort of participants every 6 years (as detailed elsewhere in this chapter) This design allows researchers to use the data in a number of important ways: Analyzing Individual Aging Regular re-interviews with HRS participants are an essential feature of the survey design. Analysts can follow individuals’ evolving circumstances and answer general questions about what happens in families as their members age. For example, analyses of the data can reveal the extent to which people spend down their assets as they age, find out whether people hold steady employ- ment or move into and out of the labor force, and assess the dynamics of health deterioration and improvement with age. Further important questions to be explored ask: What are the circumstances leading up to major life transitions such as retire- ment or health events? How do people respond to those transitions? What are the consequences of those transitions? Analyzing Trends The HRS is a rich resource for exploring national trends in health and economic status over time. It allows for examination of cohort differences, for example, by comparing the characteristics and behavior of 61-year-olds in 1992 with the char- acteristics and behavior of 61-year-olds in 2002. The data can show whether people have more or fewer financial assets now than in previous years, are more or less likely to work, and are more or less likely to be caring for an aging parent or providing childcare for a grandchild. Analysts