Research On Early Life And Aging Trends Effects (RELATE): A Cross National Study Methods Report User Guide

User Manual:

Open the PDF directly: View PDF PDF.
Page Count: 381 [warning: Documents this large are best viewed by clicking the View PDF Link!]

Research on Early Life and Aging
Trends and Effects (RELATE): A
Cross-National Study
ICPSR 34241
Mary McEniry
University of Michigan. Inter-university
Consortium for Political and Social Research
Methods Report
Inter-university Consortium for
Political and Social Research
P.O. Box 1248
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
www.icpsr.umich.edu
Terms of Use
The terms of use for this study can be found at:
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/34241/terms
Information about Copyrighted Content
Some instruments administered as part of this study may contain in whole or substantially
in part contents from copyrighted instruments. Reproductions of the instruments are
provided as documentation for the analysis of the data associated with this collection.
Restrictions on "fair use" apply to all copyrighted content. More information about the
reproduction of copyrighted works by educators and librarians is available from the United
States Copyright Office.
NOTICE
WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making
of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions
specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other
reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is
not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a
user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in
excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
1
Methods report on the compilation of the RELATE cross national
data set on older adults from 20 low, middle and high income
countries
Version 1.0
Written and prepared by:
Mary McEniry, Sarah Moen, Jacob McDermott
June 2013
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
Population Studies Center
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
2
Table of Contents
1. Overview
1.1 Background
1.2 Country-specific surveys selected for cross national data set
1.2.1 Sample designs, sample weights and response rates
1.2.2 Missing values
2. Creation of the cross national data set
2.1 Creating country-specific data files
2.2 Creating a preliminary cross national data set
2.2.1 Harmonization of measures
2.3 Creating a finalized version of the cross national data set
3. Constructed variables for cross national data
3.1 Respondent, household IDs, status and where interviewed
3.2 Demographics
3.2.1 Gender, age and marital status
3.2.2 Ethnicity, race and language spoken
3.2.3 Education, income and wealth
3.2.4 Family and household
3.3 System
3.3.1 WHO rating of health care systems
3.4 Early life conditions
3.4.1 Birthplace
3.4.2 Childhood health
3.4.3 Childhood nutrition
3.4.4 Childhood socioeconomic status
3.5 Adult lifestyle
3.5.1 Adult smoking
3.5.2 Adult exercise
3.5.3 Adult alcohol consumption
3.4.4 Adult diet
3.6 Adult health outcomes
3.6.1 Self-reported health
3.6.2 Functionality/disability
3.6.3 Chronic conditions
3/6.4 Anthropometric and performance measures
3.6.5 Mortality
4. References
Appendix A: Original Funding Sources for Studies Included in the First Public Release
of the RELATE Data
3
Appendix B: Archiving and preservation
Appendix C: Harmonization of key variables
Appendix D: Overview of country-specific data files
Appendix E: Bangladesh-MHSS original variables
Appendix F: China-CHNS original variables
Appendix G: China-CLHLS original variables
Appendix H: Costa Rica-CRELES original variables
Appendix I: England-ELSA original variables
Appendix J: Indonesia-IFLS original variables
Appendix K: Latin American and Caribbean cities-SABE original variables
Appendix L: Mexico-MHAS original variables
Appendix M: Netherlands-SHARE original variables
Appendix N: Puerto Rico-PREHCO original variables
Appendix O: SAGE countries original variables
Appendix P: Taiwan-SEBAS original variables
Appendix Q: US-HRS original variables
Appendix R: US-WLS original variables
List of tables
Table 1.1: Description of cross national data on aging populations
Table 1.2: Description of country specific samples
Table 2.1: Country-specific data files
Table 3.1: Relationship between constructed variables and original variables for
respondent, household IDs, status and where interviewed
Table 3.2: Relationship between constructed and original variables for gender, age
and marital status
Table 3.3: Relationship between constructed and original variables for ethnicity, race
and language
Table 3.4: Relationship between constructed and original variables for education,
income and wealth
Table 3.5: Relationship between constructed and original variables for family and
household
Table 3.6: WHO rating of health care systems
Table 3.7: Relationship between constructed and original variables for birthplace
Table 3.8: Relationship between constructed and original variables for childhood
health
Table 3.9: Relationship between constructed and original variables for childhood
nutrition
Table 3.10: Relationship between constructed and original variables for childhood SES
Table 3.11: Relationship between constructed and original variables for adult smoking
Table 3.12: Relationship between constructed and original variables for adult exercise
Table 3.13: Relationship between constructed and original variables for adult alcohol
consumption
Table 3.14: Relationship between constructed and original variables for self-reported
4
health
Table 3.15: Relationship between constructed and original variables for
functionality/disability
Table 3.16: Relationship between constructed and original variables for chronic
conditions
Table 3.17: Relationship between constructed and original variables for
anthropometric measures
Table 3.18: Relationship between constructed and original variables for adult
mortality
List of figures
Figure 1: Steps in creating cross national data set
5
Acknowledgements
The award received by the National Institute of Aging for a five-year grant to study early life
conditions and older adult health in the developing world (grant number K25 AG027239) made
the research described in this report possible. The rich scholarly environment found at the
Center for Demography & Ecology (grant number R24 HD47873) and the Center for
Demography of Aging (grant number P30 AG017266) at University of Wisconsin-Madison and
the Institute for Social Research, ICPSR, Population Studies Center (grant number R24
HD041028) at the University of Michigan also played an important part. The Social Science
Computing Cooperative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provided excellent computing
resources by which to carry out research activities. Finally, we are grateful for the very detailed
and careful work of the data processors within the Data Sharing for Demographic Research
archive within the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the
University of Michigan (grant number U24HD048404-09).
This is the first publicly released version of the data documentation. Please send all comments
to mmceniry@umich.edu.
6
1. Overview
1.1 Background
This technical report describes the compilation of the cross national data set on older
adults resulting from a 5-year NIA funded project which examined early life conditions
and older adult health (50+ years) across developing and developed countries (K25
AG027239). The research project was also supported by a NICHD center grant to the
Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan (R24 HD041028) and core
grants to the Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin (R24
HD47873) and to the Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of
Wisconsin (P30 AG017266). As part of the project, data were compiled on over 147,000
individuals from major surveys of older adults in 20 low, middle and high income
countries. This report describes the methods used to compile the data.
1.2 Country-specific surveys selected for cross national data set
The selection of countries for the cross national data set was based on their diversity but
also availability of comprehensive cross sectional/panel survey data for older adults
born in low, middle and high income countries. At the time of the initial data
compilation, these included several comprehensive surveys that have individual-level
data on health.
Table 1.1 provides a general description of the cross national data set, including
classification of countries according to early 20th century mortality regimes, current
income categories, selected wave, sample size, age of respondents, and the wave used for
health transition data. A description of the rationale for the classification into mortality
regimes appears elsewhere (McEniry, 2009). Income categories are according to those
used by the World Bank (2011).
From Latin America there are the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), Puerto
Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO), Study of Aging Survey on Health and
Well Being of Elders (SABE), Costa Rican Study of Longevity and Healthy Aging
(CRELES), and WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health in Mexico (WHO-
SAGE). From Asia there are the China Health and Nutrition Study (CHNS), Chinese
Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), Indonesia Family Life Survey
(IFLS), Matlab Health and Socio-Economic Survey (MHSS), WHO Study on Global
Ageing and Adult Health in India (WHO-SAGE) and China (WHO-SAGE), and Social
Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS). From Africa there are the WHO
Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health in Ghana (WHO-SAGE) and South Africa
(WHO-SAGE). From the developed world there are the Health and Retirement Study
(HRS), Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
(ELSA), and Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement-Netherlands (SHARE-
Netherlands). A survey of older adults from the WHO Study on Global Ageing and
Adult Health in the Russian Federation (WHO-SAGE) was also recently included in
the cross national data.
7
Of the selected surveys, there are several “sister” surveys conducted in other countries
with the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). These include: ELSA, MHAS, SHARE,
and CRELES. Future plans are to continue adding other sister surveys1 to the cross
national data set as well as new or existing surveys on older adults as they become
publicly accessible.
Most of the selected surveys were conducted between 2000-2005 with the exception of
Bangladesh (1996) and WHO-SAGE (2007-09) (see Table 1.1). Differences in timing of
surveys are relevant when comparing age groups and birth cohorts. When comparing
across age groups, Bangladesh respondents are older than most of those surveyed in
2000-2005 (a 60-year old respondent interviewed in 1996 was born in 1936) while
WHO-SAGE respondents are younger (a 60-year old interviewed in 2007 was born in
1947). When comparing across birth cohorts, the reverse is true. Differences in timing
also appear for mortality as second wave data may reflect shorter or longer periods of
time.
The first publicly release version of the cross national data contain a subset of the
complete data sets. Appendix A describes the original funding sources for the studies
that are included in this first version.
1 Other countries with surveys similar to that of HRS include Ireland, China, Japan, South
Korea, and India. Planning for HRS similar studies are now in progress for Scotland and Brazil
and possibly in Argentina and Chile. See https://mmicdata.rand.org/megametadata/ for more
information.
8
Table 1.1: Description of cross national data on aging populations
Country
Income level
Selected wave
for baseline
Sample
Wave used for health transition
Very Early Regime
Netherlands SHARE
High
2004-05 (wave 1)
2,979
2006-07 (wave 2)
England ELSA
High
2004-05 (wave 2)
8,780
2006-07 (wave 3)
US HRS
High
2000
12,527
2006
US WLS
High
2004-05
10,317
(mortality data up to 2011)
Early Regime
Argentina SABE
Upper Middle
2000 (wave 1)
1,043
None available
Cuba SABE
Upper Middle
2000 (wave 1)
1,905
None available
Uruguay SABE
Upper Middle
2000 (wave 1)
1,450
None available
Mid-paced Regime
Chile SABE
Upper Middle
2000 (wave 1)
1,301
2005 (wave 2; not yet publicly accessible)
Costa Rica CRELES
Upper Middle
2003 (wave 1)
2,827
Up to 2008 (wave 2; 3rd wave pending access)
Puerto Rico PREHCO
High
2002-03 (wave 1)
4,291
2006-07 (wave 2)
South Africa
WHO/SAGE
Upper Middle
2007-08 (wave 1)
3,830
Planned for future (wave 2)
Taiwan SEBAS
High
2000 (wave 1)
1,023
2006 (wave 2)
Late Regime
Barbados SABE
High
2000 (wave 1)
1,508
None available
Brazil SABE
Upper Middle
2000 (wave 1)
2,143
(waves 2 and 3; not yet publicly accessible)
Mexico MHAS
Upper Middle
2001 (wave 1)
13,463
2003 (wave 2)
Mexico SABE
Upper Middle
2000 (wave 1)
1,247
None available
Mexico WHO/SAGE
Upper Middle
2007-08 (wave 1)
4,142
Planned for future (wave 2)
Russian Federation
Upper Middle
2007-08 (wave 1)
4,511
Planned for future (wave 2)
Very Late Regime
Bangladesh MHSS
Low
1996 (wave 1)
6,973
Mortality through Dec 2007 for 50+ in 1996
China CHNS
Lower Middle
2000 (wave 5)
6,452
2006 (wave 7)
China CLHLS
Lower Middle
2002 (wave 3)
16,064
2005 (wave 4)
China WHO/SAGE
Lower Middle
2007-08 (wave 1)
13,368
Planned for future (wave 2)
Ghana WHO/SAGE
Low
2007-08 (wave 1)
4,724
Planned for future (wave 2)
India WHO/SAGE
Lower Middle
2007-08 (wave 1)
7,150
Planned for future (wave 2)
Indonesia IFLS
Lower Middle
2000 (wave 3)
13,260
2007-08 (wave 4)
Total
147,278
9
Notes: Countries arranged by mortality regime and by World Bank definition of income (2011). Ages
shown are the ages at the time of the first survey selected. Not shown in the table are surveys used as pre-
tests for the SAGE study. These include: India WHO/SAGE’s pilot study of 492 individuals, Ghana
WHO/SAGE’s pilot study of 507 individuals, and Tanzania WHO/SAGE’s pilot study of 525 individuals.
While the total sample size in the table is 147,278, the subsample of respondents born before 1960 and
whose age could be ascertained for analyses was 143,968. The difference in sample size reflects exclusion
of (1) 100 cases born in the 1960s; (2) 2,616 cases where age was missing (Mexico-SAGE (n=4142) had
2,030 missing cases); and (3) 594 cases from the WLS cohort where the high school graduate was either
dead or did not respond to the 2004 survey.
1.2.1 Sample design, sample weights and response rates
Most studies included in the cross national data set are representative of the older adult
population either nationally, in major urban centers or in major provinces. Some studies
are representative samples of households from which older adults were selected.
Surveys which are nationally representative of the older population include: Mexico-
MHAS, Puerto Rico-PREHCO, Costa Rica-CRELES, Taiwan-SEBAS, US-HRS, England-
ELSA, and the Netherlands-SHARE. Some of these surveys included oversamples of
special populations. Costa Rica-CRELES oversampled the oldest old (respondents over
the age of 95). US-HRS oversampled African Americans, Hispanics, and Florida
residents. The WHO-SAGE, China-CHNS, China-CLHLS, and Indonesia-IFLS surveys
are all representative of only select provinces within the individual countries. The SABE
study surveyed seven capital cities in the Latin American and Caribbean region and does
not represent the entire population of the seven countries. The general sampling design
to which each of the countries adhered allows for the surveys to be comparable cross
nationally. Bangladesh-MHSS was a random sample of baris, or neighborhoods, in
Matlab, a rural region of Bangladesh. US-WLS was a random sample of 1957 Wisconsin
high school graduates and their randomly selected siblings. The survey was broadly
representative of white, non-Hispanic Americans.
All selected surveys used sample weights with the exception of CHNS and WLS. In
some instances there were several sample weights according to individual or
community. Individual sample weights were used in the cross national data set.
Table 1.2 provides a description of the cross national sample, including the number of
respondents and response rates in the survey year and follow-up survey year. Surveys
are grouped by representation (i.e. nationally representative surveys, surveys
representative of urban areas, surveys representative of national or rural households
and communities, and surveys representative of 1957 Wisconsin high school graduates).
Most studies obtained high response rates in the first wave under consideration and in
subsequent waves. In some cases, all survey questions were asked only of a subset of
respondents (e.g. in Indonesia with so-called main respondents and in Bangladesh with
older adults from communities some of which received maternal/child interventions in
the 1970s).
More complete information about each survey along with a relevant website for sample
design and response rates is found in the reference section of this report.
10
Table 1.2: Description of country specific samples
Survey (Survey Year)
Number of
selected
respondents
Response Rates (%)
Survey Year
Follow-up
Survey
National Survey of Older Adults
China CLHLS (2002)
16,064
96
96
Costa Rica CRELES (2003)
2,827
95
93
England ELSA (2004-05)
8,780
82
75
Mexico MHAS (2001)
13,463
90
93
Multiple-SAGE (2007-08)
a
37,725
85 and above
b
N.A.
Netherlands SHARE (2004-05)
2,955
88
89
Puerto Rico PREHCO (2002-03)
4,291
94
94
Taiwan SEBAS (2000)
1,023
68
N.A.
US HRS (2000)
12,527
85
89
Urban Survey of Older Adults
Multiple-SABE (2000) a
10,597
62-95
N.A.
National Household & Community
China CHNS (2000)
6,452
83
88
Indonesia IFLS (2000)
13,191
95
91
Rural Household & Community
Bangladesh MHSS (1996)
6,973
95
N.A.
1957 Wisconsin High School Graduates
US WLS (2004-05)
10,317
92
N.A.
Total
143,968
Sources: Numbers of respondents are from McEniry (forthcoming). Shown are individual response rates
for the survey years selected. The numbers of respondents born before 1960 and for whom there were
data on age or birth year are presented in the table.
Notes:
a “Multiple” means that there were multiple countries involved in the survey. SAGE countries include
China, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. SABE cities include Buenos Aires,
Argentina, Bridgetown, Barbados, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Santiago, Chile, Havana, Cuba, Mexico City, Mexico,
and Montevideo, Uruguay.
b For the most part, all SAGE surveys had a high response rate with the exception of Mexico.
1.2.2 Missing values
The reason for and the number of missing responses varies across countries and
variables and is an important restriction to meaningful model estimation. Needed is a
more careful analysis of missing values to first determine the degree to which the data
are missing completely at random (Little, 1988) and then use imputation procedures to
impute the data. A preliminary analysis of missing values is described below.
Of the demographic variables included in the surveys, education and income are two
variables with a larger degree of missing values (values that made up more than 5% of
the data for those born prior to 1945). Older respondents tended to have missing values
11
for education in China, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Taiwan, Argentina,
Cuba, Bangladesh, and South Africa. In Indonesia, Costa Rica, and South Africa, men
tended to have more missing values for education while in England and Ghana women
had more missing values. Missing values for education that were above 5% ranged from
6% in Mexico-SAGE and Taiwan to 17% in South Africa. Missing values for household
income ranged from 6% in China-SAGE to 33% in the Russian Federation.
That being said, the degree of missing values for early childhood conditions tends to be
much more variable across countries as compared with demographic variables. Those
who were more likely to produce missing values for birthplace included respondents
who were older and from China, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, the US, Barbados,
Brazil, Cuba and Uruguay; respondents who had less education and were from Puerto
Rico, Argentina and China; respondents who had more education and were from
Indonesia, Mexico, Barbados, Bangladesh and India; respondents who were women and
from the US and Mexico; and respondents who were men and from Costa Rica and
China. Those who were more likely to produce missing values for height included
respondents who were older and from Indonesia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, the US,
Mexico, England, China, Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay, Bangladesh, Netherlands,
India, Ghana, South Africa and Russia; respondents who had less education and were
from Puerto Rico, the US, Mexico, England, Bangladesh, Netherlands and China;
respondents who had more education and were from Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico,
Uruguay and Ghana; respondents who were female and from Indonesia, the US, Mexico,
Barbados, Uruguay, Bangladesh and Ghana; and respondents who were male and from
China.
The childhood conditions variables that had missing values above 5% in many of the
countries include: birthplace, parental education, height, and knee height. Missing
values for birthplace that were above 5% ranged from 6% in Costa Rica and Mexico-
SAGE to 62% in Mexico-MHAS; father’s education ranged from 7% in US-WLS to 43%
in US-HRS; mother’s education ranged from 8% in the Russian Federation and China-
SAGE to 36% in Puerto Rico; height ranged from 6% in Chile to 19% in Mexico-MHAS;
and knee height ranged from 6% in Chile to 83% in Mexico-MHAS. Mexico-MHAS has
high missing values for birthplace because only respondents who had always lived in the
community could be identified with a rural/urban birthplace; height and knee height
because physical measurements were taken on a subset of the MHAS sample. US-HRS
has a high number of missing values for father’s education because only a subset of
respondents was asked about early life conditions.
Missing values for smoking tended to occur in older respondents from China, Costa Rica
and Mexico; male respondents from the US, Bangladesh, Ghana and China; respondents
with more education in the US and South Africa; and respondents with less education in
China and Russia. Missing values for smoking that were above 5% ranged from 6% in
Mexico-SAGE and US-WLS to 13% in China-CHNS; exercising ranged from 6% in
Mexico-SAGE to 38% in China-CHNS; drinking ranged from 6% in Mexico-SAGE to
15% in England; body mass index (BMI) category ranged from 6% in Barbados to 22% in
Mexico-MHAS; and yearly visits to a doctor or medical professional ranged from 8% in
Bangladesh to 20% in China-SAGE.
12
Adult heart disease and diabetes show a higher percent of missing values in low income
countries. Missing values for heart disease tended to be reported in older respondents
from China, Mexico, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the US and Barbados; male respondents
from Mexico and Costa Rica; and respondents with less education in Indonesia, Costa
Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil and China. For diabetes, a similar pattern emerged:
older respondents from China; those with less education from Costa Rica, Puerto Rico,
Mexico and China; and male respondents from Mexico and China tended to report more
missing values.
Missing values for heart disease/angina that were above 5% ranged from 10% in South
Africa to 43% in Indonesia and for diabetes ranged from 6% in Mexico-SAGE to 43% in
Indonesia. For other variables closely associated with chronic conditions, the pattern of
missing values that were above 5% was: obesity ranged from 6% in Barbados to 22% in
Mexico-MHAS; poor health ranged from 6% in Mexico-SAGE to 14% in Puerto Rico;
and functionality ranged from 7% in Mexico-SAGE to 21% in China-CHNS. Missing
values were high for Indonesia for heart disease and diabetes because questions for
heart disease were asked in 2007-08 but not in the baseline used here (2000) and thus
there were respondents who were either no longer alive or were lost to follow-up.
2. Creation of the cross national data set
Figure 1 below shows the broad steps in the creation of the cross national data set. First,
a series of Stata do files was created for each selected data set. Second, country-specific
data files were appended together to produce a cross national data set creating
additional measures and harmonizing where possible. The third step was to create a
finalized version of the cross national data set that contained only relevant variables for
cross national analyses. These variables were mostly constructed and harmonized. A
final version of country-specific data files was also created which included only original
variables. The resulting cross national data set has 147,278 total observations and over
200 variables. Country-specific data files have a different number of variables (Table
2.1). A final step was to deposit the data files with ICPSR at the University of Michigan
for archiving and preservation. This process entailed a careful quality review of all data
sets for completion of labels and missing information (see Appendix B).
Figure 1: Steps in creating cross national data set
Step 1:
Prepare country
specific surveys
Step 2:
Append to create
preliminary cross
national data set
Step 3:
Create final cross
national data set
Step 4:
Archive and
preserve data
13
2.1 Creating country-specific data files
Country-specific Stata do files were created for each of the country surveys. These pulled
together all of the applicable data from the country-specific surveys. Table 2.1 shows the
resulting country-specific data including sample size, number of variables used from
original survey and a brief description of addition variables that may be of interest to
researchers. Variables were harmonized where possible. The appendices describe the
variables from country-specific surveys that were captured as part of the compilation of
the cross national data set. Some original variables were used to construct variables for
the cross national data set. Others appear only in the country-specific data files.
Table 2.1: Country-specific data files
Country
N
# original
variables
Additional
Variables
China-CLHLS
16,064
141
Indonesia
13,260
195
Vignettes
Costa Rica
2,827
170
Biomarkers
Puerto Rico
4,291
442
Vignettes
WLS
10,317
268
HRS
12,527
174
Vignettes
MHAS
13,463
125
Taiwan
1,023
95
Biomarkers
ELSA
8,780
281
China-CHNS
6,452
103
SABE
10,597
169 - 194
Bangladesh
6,973
172
Netherlands
2,979
548
Vignettes +
section on early life
India
7,150
352
Vignettes
Ghana
4,724
350
Vignettes
China
13,368
336
Vignettes
S. Africa
3,830
348
Vignettes
Mexico
4,142
343
Vignettes
Russia
4,511
351
Vignettes
TOTAL
147,278
Notes: Biomarkers not yet available for public release for SAGE countries and for WLS.
2.2 Creating a preliminary cross national data set
Each of the country-specific Stata do files were then appended together to create the
preliminary cross national data set. Some country-specific variables were saved that
were not used to construct variables and appear only in the country-specific data files.
Additional cross national variables were created at this stage: PPP household or
individual income; rating of health system according to the World Health Organization
(WHO) (2000); and position within the household. Some harmonization of measures
occurred during this stage.
14
2.2.1 Harmonization of measures
Survey questions and scaling differed across countries for some selected variables such
as self-reported health, childhood health, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), adult
functionality, being born and raised in a rural area, residence and education. Appendix
C describes the harmonization of selected variables.
2.3 Creating a finalized version of the cross national data set
To create the finalized version of the cross national data set, several modifications of the
preliminary cross national data set were required. First, variable names not already in
English were translated into English. Second, all variable labels, value labels, and codes
for missing values were checked for completion. Variable labels were relabeled where
necessary. Consistent value labels were also added to all categorical variables. Third,
country-specific variables were created to account for differences in scaling of questions.
In some instances (e.g. self-reported health, childhood health and childhood SES),
questions varied across countries in wording and scaling which created inconsistencies
between similar variables’ values and value labels. To address this problem, merged
variables with inconsistent scaling and/or wording were split into country-specific
variables of the form variable_country. Fourth, in some instances scales were reversed
to make them comparable across countries (e.g. wealth indicator). Fifth, selected
variables were included in the final version of the cross national data set. Remaining
variables were saved in each relevant country-specific data file. The data set was then
compressed which changed variable storage types to the least memory-consuming type
that did not result in any loss of accuracy.
3. Constructed variables for cross national data
Most constructed variables for the cross national data are described in the main text of this
report. A few not explicitly mentioned in the main part of this report (e.g. Nagi item push,
heavy, IADLs shopping, meals) are described in Appendix C.
3.1 Respondent and household IDs, status and where interviewed
Table 3.1 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for the respondent. A description of relevant original variables
can be found in appendices according to country. An id variable was created for most
countries based on the unique identifier for each country. This was accomplished by
first sorting on the unique identifier and then creating id with the number sorted using
Stata:
sort unique identifier
replace id= _n
For sample weights, a general variable call samplewgt was created using the variable
identified in the survey. Country is a variable identifying the country-specific surveys.
Proxy indicates if a proxy was used to complete the questionnaire. Province_ is a
constructed variable showing the province or state in which the respondent was
15
interviewed. Residence indicates current residence (urban/rural) of the respondent.
Some surveys had a filtering variable to identify the respondents. These variables are
identified as constructed variables with status_. Other filtering variables kept the same
original name in the final cross national data set. Wave shows the baseline survey year
selected as part of the cross national data set.
Several variables were constructed to identify birth cohort (birthcohort,
birthchortFIN, cohort). These variables were defined primarily using birth year after
eliminating or recoding in some cases strange values for birth year. Birth year did not
always exactly match with the respondent’s stated age at the time of the survey and so
there may be some very minor discrepancies when comparing these variables with age
at the time of the survey. In addition, in some instances (PREHCO, SAGE, SABE, ELSA,
IFLS, CRELES, CHNS, SEBAS, WLS) missing birth year was estimated using
respondents stated age at the time of the survey. This estimation of birth year may also
lead to a slight misclassification into birth cohorts. Instances where there were large
discrepancies between birth year and age appeared to be minor and thus these
discrepancies should not affect analyses.
Table 3.1: Relationship between constructed variables and original
variables for respondent, household IDs, status and where interviewed
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
Id
samplewgt
Residence
proxy
Bangladesh-MHSS
case, person
wt_ind
(see note
a)
China-CHNS
hhid00, line00 (see
note b)
t2
China-CLHLS
id (see note c)
w_2002
Residenc
ra2
Costa Rica-CRELES
idsujeto
ponderador
URBAN
proxy
England-ELSA
idauniq
w2wgt
askpx1
Indonesia-IFLS
hhid00, pid00
pwt00xa
(see note d)
sc05
(see note
d)
Latin American cities-
SABE
var00001 (Argentina),
folio (all other SABE)
ponder,
ponder1
(see note
e)
Mexico-MHAS
unhhid, ps3
fac_p
Murb
ent_tip
Netherlands-SHARE
Mergeid
w1mci
(see note f)
(see note
f)
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
Caseid
fac_t
(see note
g)
qjefe
SAGE
id
(see note h)
pweight
q0104
q1000b
Taiwan-SEBAS
resp_id
wgt_exam
Rural
i1
US-HRS
HHID, PN
GWGTR
G514
US-WLS
Idpriv
Notes: Most country-specific surveys had a single sample weight variable. These surveys included:
Bangladesh, China-CLHLS, Costa Rica, Mexico-MHAS, Puerto Rico, SABE cities, and SAGE countries.
The sampling weight used for England-ELSA was specific to the core members of the second wave. For
the Netherlands, cross sectional weights (not longitudinal weights) were calibrated for individuals in both
the individual and main sample. Imputed sampling weights were not used. The sampling weight used for
Taiwan was weighted by age and strata. For US-HRS, a respondent level sampling weight was used. No
16
sample weights were used for China-CHNS or US-WLS. The original variables for proxy in the Costa
Rican and Puerto Rican surveys were redefined in the cross national data as a dichotomous variable.
There were a few instances where there was a variable used for identifying a subset of respondents. This
occurred in Bangladesh and the Netherlands with the variable status, China-CLHLS with the variable type
and Indonesia with the variable main.
a Bangladesh respondents were all living in a rural area at the time of the survey.
b The original variable for China-CHNS was hhid but it was renamed to hhid00_china in the cross
national data file.
c China-CLHLS has a variable id but it was renamed id_china to be able to construct a new variable called
id that would be consistent across countries.
d The Indonesian survey has a complex sample design. It has several sample weights depending on
longitudinal, cross sectional, household or individuals. The one selected and shown in the table above is
the cross sectional person weight for survey year 2000. An alternative weight pwt00xb was highly
correlated with this weight. Proxies were identified using the proxy file in the Indonesian data file.
e All SABE older adults were living in major cities of the Latin American and Caribbean region at the time
of the interview.
f In the case of the Netherlands data, the Netherlands has the variable HO037 but response to this
question was very low and it was not used to identify current residence. It appears that there is no one
variable which indicates whether a proxy was used. Each individual module has an introductory question
(1=respondent, 2=respondent& proxy 3=proxy only). In order to figure out whether the person had a
proxy, all of these variables would need to be examined.
g With Puerto Rican data it is possible to determine the municipality in which they were interviewed but
not possible to determine rural/urban residence.
h SAGE surveys contain a variable called id which uniquely identifies respondents. These variables were
recoded in the cross national data set to be idindia, idchina, idsafrica, idghan, and idRussia. The variables
q0002 and q1007 also can be used to identify households and individuals although there are missing
values for some SAGE countries using these variables.
17
3.2 Demographics
3.2.1 Gender, age, marital status and position within the household
Table 3.2 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for gender, age and marital status. A description of relevant
original variables can be found in appendices according to country.
The constructed variable gender indicates the sex of the respondent. The constructed
variable age indicates the respondents’ age at the time of the survey. Age was then
grouped into the following: agegroupALL or agegroupVer2. Civil indicates marital
status and was defined using respondents’ self-reported relationship status as currently
married, separated, divorced, widowed, or never married. PositionFIN indicates the
position of the respondent within the household.
Table 3.2: Relationship between constructed and original variables
for gender, age, marital status and position within the household
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
gender
age
civil
postionFIN
Bangladesh-MHSS
lh09
lh12m, lh12y
lh15
lh03
China-CHNS
gender
west_dob
a8
a5
China-CLHLS
a1
trueage
f41
Costa Rica-CRELES
id4
age
a3
am5
England-ELSA
indsex
indager
dimar
Indonesia-IFLS
sex
age_00
marstat
rspndnt
Latin American
cities-SABE
c18
a01b
marital
g0401
Mexico-MHAS
sexo
edad
a10
Netherlands-SHARE
gender
yrbirth,
mobirth,
int_year,
int_month
dn014_
cvid, relrpers, mstat
Puerto Rico-
PREHCO
sexo
a1
mari_r1
SAGE
q1009
q1011
q1012
q1007, q0405_02 –
q0405_25
(see note a)
Taiwan-SEBAS
sex
age2000
a1
US-HRS
G757
G1101
G1158
US-WLS
sexrsp
ga003re
gc001re
Note: Netherlands age was computed using respondent’s birthdate and date of interview.
a The variable q1007 is the respondent number and the #1 position is the household head. Variable q1007
combined with the series of variables q0405_02 through q0405_25 was used to compute the household
position of respondent (not the household head) in the household (e.g. spouse of head, other).
3.2.2 Ethnicity, race and language spoken
Table 3.3 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for variables relating to ethnicity, race and language. A
18
description of relevant original variables can be found in appendices according to
country.
Ethnic_ indicates different country-specific ethnic categories. Race and Hispanic are
original variables within the HRS study. The constructed variable langcat indicates the
main language the respondent speaks in his or her home. There were several original
variables from country-specific data files that also pertain to ethnicity and language. For
example, Ethniccat indicates ethnicity category for Indonesia. The variable langmain
indicates in which language the interview was conducted. Langothr indicates any other
language used.
Table 3.3: Relationship between constructed and original variables
for ethnicity, race and language
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
ethnic
hispanic
language
Bangladesh-MHSS
China-CHNS
a19
China-CLHLS
a2
Costa Rica-CRELES
England-ELSA
fqethnr
Indonesia-IFLS
dl01e
dl01a
Latin American cities-SABE
a12
Mexico-MHAS
Netherlands-SHARE
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
r2
SAGE
q1018
Taiwan-SEBAS
ethnicty
US-HRS
RACE
HISPANIC
US-WLS
Note: The ethnicity variable q1018 exists for all SAGE countries. However, value labels only exist for
Ghana, India, Mexico and South Africa. Because value labels could not be found for China or Russia,
country-specific ethnic variables have not been included for these two countries. See the SAGE Appendix
for more detail.
In defining ethnicity, many of the country-specific surveys asked that respondents
answer a question which included a list of several different ethnicities from which the
respondent was meant to choose. The following are the countries which asked such a
question and the ethnic categories available to respondents:
China-CLHLS: Han, Hui, Zhuan, Yao, Korean, Man, Mongolian.
England: white, mixed ethnic group, black, black British, Asian, Asian British,
any other group.
Ghana-SAGE: Akan, Ewe, Ga-Adangbe, Gruma, Grusi, Guan, Mande-Busanga,
Mole-Dagbon, other.
India-SAGE: Scheduled tribe, Scheduled caste, No caste or tribe
Indonesia: Jawa, Sunda, Bali, Batak, Bugis, Tionghoa, Madura, Sasak, Minang,
Banjar, Bima-Dompu, Makassar, Nias, Palembang, Sumbawa, Toraja, Betawi,
Dayak, Melayu-Deli, Komering, Ambon, Manado, Aceh, other South Sumatera,
other.
19
Mexico-SAGE: Mixteco, Nahuatl, Zapoteco, other.
Puerto Rico: black, mulatto/a, mixed or wheat-colored (black or white), white,
mestizo/a (Indian or white), other.
Taiwan: Fukienes, Hakka, mainland, Aborigin.
SABE cities: white, mestizo (combination of white and indigenous), mulatto
(combination of black and white), black, indigenous, Asian, other.
South Africa-SAGE: white, non-white.
US-HRS: white/Caucasian, black/African American, Indian, Asian.
In China-CHNS, ethnicity was defined slightly differently. Respondents were asked
whether or not they were considered a national minority.
In defining language, the Indonesian survey asked respondents to answer a closed-
ended question which included a list of several different languages from which the
respondent was meant to choose. The following are the language categories available to
Indonesian respondents: Indonesian, Javanese, Sudanese, Balinese, Batak, Bugis,
Chinese, Madurancese, Sasak, Minang, Banjar, Bima, Makassar, Nias, Palembang,
Sumbawa, Toraja, Lahat, other South Sumatra, Betawi, Lampung, other (specify).
3.2.3 Education, income and wealth
Table 3.4 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for variables relating to education. A description of relevant
original variables can be found in appendices according to country.
The constructed variable yeduca indicates the (harmonized) number of years of
education the respondent has had. Education is the harmonized categorized version
according to ISCED (2011). Using this variable, dummy variables were constructed. The
variable noschool indicates whether the respondent has had any formal education.
Primary indicates whether the respondent attended through primary school or 6th
grade. Secondary indicates whether the respondent attended through secondary
school or from 7th to 12th grade. Higher indicates whether the respondent attended
higher than 12th grade. Income was defined as the respondents’ yearly per capita
household income (household income divided by household size) where possible.
Annual per capita income was obtained in the following manner. In the case of
household surveys, we used either the household income that was calculated for the user
(WLS, HRS, ELSA), used target and spouse income calculated for the user (Mexico-
MHAS), used a set of questions to calculate yearly household income (Bangladesh,
China-CHNS) or used a calculation of wages provided for Indonesia. For surveys of
older adults, we either used one question for target and spouse (Costa Rica), or
calculated income based on several questions regarding income for target and spouse
(Puerto Rico) or calculated income based on several questions regarding individual
income for a randomly selected older adult in the household (SABE). Per capita income
was calculated by dividing by household size or in the case of SABE by the number of
dependents. We then created a variable called PPP in order to make international
comparisons. Taking 2000 to be the year of interest, we first converted each country to
local 2000 currency using the GDP deflator from the World Bank World Development
20
Indicators and then converted to PPP (international dollars) using the PPP conversation
table published by WHO (2012). From there, the variable income was divided into
quintiles resulting in the variable quint.
Table 3.4: Relationship between constructed and original variables for
education, income and wealth
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
yeduca,
education
income
wealth
Bangladesh-
MHSS
ed03, ed06,
ed08a
Book II: Sections AI, LI,
OFI, FB, NFB, AE, NAE,
HRT (see note a)
Book I: Section HC, Book
II: Section HA (see note a)
China-CHNS
a11
hhinc_pc
l1, l5, l8, l140f, l115, l110,
l105
China-CLHLS
f1
f35 (see note b)
Costa Rica-
CRELES
a2a, a2b
h20, h21, h23, h24, h25, h27
j18, j19, j20, j21, j23, j26,
j27-j32
England-ELSA
Edqual
totinc_bu, eqtotinc_bu
sclddr
Indonesia-IFLS
dl04, dl06, dl07
(see note c)
kr13, kr20,kr23, kr24,
kr24a
Latin American
cities-SABE
Yeduca
Section H (see note d)
j04, j08, j09, j10, j13a-
j13d, j121-j123
Mexico-MHAS
a3_3
income_i
j8, j5, j6, j10b – j10f
Netherlands-
SHARE
edu, iscedy_r
hgtincv
Puerto Rico-
PREHCO
c10r1
n51* (series of variables)
p13, p19, p20, p21b-p21d,
p21g, p21j
SAGE
q1015, q1016,
q1017
q0724
q0506, q0508, q0710,
q0510, q0711, q0712,
q0708, q0511, q0713
Taiwan-SEBAS
educ00
d1, d2
d1, d2
US-HRS
G1074A
GHHINC
US-WLS
gb103red,
gb104red,
gb005rec
gp260hec
Notes: The UN definition of education was used to classify educational level: no school, primary (up to
6th grade), secondary (7th-12th grades, lower and upper secondary), and superior (anything over 12 years of
education including university) (ISCED, 2011).
In the case of the Netherlands survey, education was imputed (edu) and this imputed variable was used to
define years of education.
The original variables noted in the income column are for the calculation of household income and not per
capita income. Per capita income was obtained by dividing household income by household size.
a See Appendix D: Bangladesh for a selection of variables from these sections.
b There was only one question that asked about income in the China-CHLHS survey.
c Income in the case of Indonesia was estimated by a researcher working with the IFLS project using labor
income only. See notes in Appendix I: Indonesia.
21
d See Appendix J: SABE for a selection of variables from this section.
Wealth_index is a wealth indicator based on household characteristics and assets. It
varies slightly from country to country as country-specific surveys had different
questions for household assets. Assets reflects number of possessions and assets and
was used to create the wealth index. Ladder is a variable reflecting the use of the SES
ladder instrument to estimate wealth. In England-ELSA and Taiwan-SEBAS,
respondents were asked to imagine the socioeconomic situation of their country as a
ladder, with those who are the best off at the top and those who are the worst off at the
bottom. The variable ladder was then defined as low, the bottom 10%, middle, and high,
the top 10% of respondents.
3.2.4 Family and household
Table 3.5 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for variables relating to ethnicity, race and language. A
description of relevant original variables can be found in appendices according to
country.
Table 3.5: Relationship between constructed and original variables
for family and household
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
siblings
children
grandchild
hhsize
Bangladesh-MHSS
sib01a
ch01a
(see note
a)
China-CHNS
s122
t6
China-CLHLS
f9
f10
a52
Costa Rica-CRELES
am6
am4
England-ELSA
disib
dhnch
dignmy,
dignmyW2,
digran,
digranW2
hhtot
Indonesia-IFLS
br15
hhsize
Latin American cities-SABE
a18
g02
Mexico-MHAS
a19
(see note
a)
Netherlands-SHARE
dn036_,
dn037_
ch001_
ch021_
hhsize
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
l20a
d11
c1num
SAGE
q0401
Taiwan-SEBAS
a3a
US-HRS
G1093
G562
US-WLS
gk067ss
gd001kd
ge001he
Notes: Children, grandchild, and siblings indicate the number of children, grandchildren, and
siblings the respondent has, respectively. The variable children was defined slightly differently
depending on the question asked in the country-specific survey. There are four variations present in the
surveys, all of which were used to define the number of children: (1) the number of children the
respondent had given birth to or fathered (which could include stillbirths) (China-CHNS, China-CLHLS,
SABE); (2) the number of children living in the respondents’ home (England); (3) the respondents’
number of live births (Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico-MHAS, Puerto Rico, US-HRS); or (4) the number of
22
living children respondents have, including those that are natural, adopted, fostered, or stepchildren
(Bangladesh, Netherlands, US-WLS).
Grandchildren was defined as the number of grand- or great-grandchildren the respondent had at the
time of the interview.
The variable siblings was defined slightly differently depending on the question asked in the country-
specific survey. There are two variations present in the surveys: (1) the number of siblings, living or dead
(China-CLHLS, Puerto Rico, US-WLS); (2) the number of living siblings only (Bangladesh, England,
Netherlands).
a Hhsize indicates the number of people living in the household. Household size was computed in some
cases. For example, in Bangladesh, researchers claim that they identified everyone in the home through
the roster. Therefore, household size was taken to be the sum of the individuals listed in the roster for
each household identified by the variable case. A similar procedure was used in the following surveys:
MHAS, CHNS and HRS.
3.3 System
3.3.1 WHO rating of health care systems
The constructed variable hscore is based on the numerical rating given by the World
Health Organization (2000). Higher numbers indicate a worse rating of a country’s
health care system.
Table 3.6: WHO rating of health care systems
Countries
Rating
Bangladesh
88
China
144
Costa Rica
36
England
18
Indonesia
92
Latin American cities-SABE
33-125
Mexico
61
Netherlands
17
Puerto Rico
37
SAGE countries
112-175
Taiwan
--
US
37
Notes: Individually, SABE countries are rated as follows: Argentina (75), Barbados (46), Brazil (125),
Chile (33), Cuba (39), Mexico (61), Uruguay (65). SAGE countries are rated as follows: India (112), Ghana
(135), China (144), South Africa (175), Russian Federation (130). WHO did not provide a rating for
Taiwan.
3.4 Early life conditions
3.4.1 Birthplace and timing of birth
Table 3.7 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for early life conditions. A description of relevant original
variables can be found in appendices according to country.
23
The constructed variable born indicates whether the respondent was born in the
country where the survey was administered. The variable bplace_ describes the
municipality, province or state in which the respondent was born. Not all surveys had a
question on born within the country or birthplace. RuralFIN is a harmonized variable
and indicates if the respondent spent their childhood in a rural area. Region indicates
the agricultural region of birth for Puerto Rico. Birthmonth and birthyear were
constructed from survey variables. In some instances when birth year was missing it was
later estimated from the age and interview date (SAGE, SABE, Indonesia, CR, Taiwan,
ELSA, CHNS, and WLS).
Thereafter the variable quarter was constructed which indicated the birth quarter of
the year. Dummy variables were also created indicating birth quarter (quarter1,
quarter2, quarter3 and quarter4). IMRbirth is a country-specific variable for
Puerto Rico (PREHCO) indicating municipality-specific IMR at birth in the late 1920s -
early 1940s.
Table 3.7: Relationship between constructed and original variables for
birthplace
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
born
bplace_
ruralFIN
birthmonth,
birthyear
Bangladesh-MHSS
mg02
mg02, mg04
lh11m, lh11y
China-CHNS
a20, a21
(see note
a)
a20, a21 (see
note a)
t2 (see note
a)
west_dob (see note
b), u1
China-CLHLS
a41
a41
a41, a43
v_bthyr, v_bthmon,
a41
Costa Rica-CRELES
a22a, pc
pc
pc
id2b, id2c
England-ELSA
pobr,
countrr,
fqcbthr
(see note
c)
indobyr
Indonesia-IFLS
mg01ex
dl01b
mg04a,
mg08
bth_mnth, us02mth,
bth_year2000
Latin American cities-
SABE
a02
a02, a04b
a01am, a01aa
Mexico-MHAS
a21
murb, a21
a1_2, a1_3
Netherlands-SHARE
dn004_
mobirth, yrbirth
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
a3
a3m_2_update
o1, o2
a2_m, a2_a
SAGE
q1024,
q1020,
q0104
q1024,
q1020,
q0104
q1010_mm,
q1010_yyyy (see note
d)
Taiwan-SEBAS
ethnicty
bir_m, yrbirth
US-HRS
USBORN
G1061M (see
note e)
G1125 (see
note f)
BIRTHMO,
BIRTHYR
US-WLS
ie003re
ie003re
rlur5 (see
note g)
cmbrdx
Notes:
24
a The variables a20 and a21 in the questionnaire indicate birthplace. However, an explanation for the
coding of these variables cannot be located in any written documentation on the CHNS website. Thus, the
variables born and bplace_ for CHNS could not be properly identified. There was no question asked
specifically about childhood residence in the CHNS study. However, there was a variable t2 referring to
current residence. Assuming small amount of migration in some regions, this variable could be used to
reflect rural childhood.
b Date of birth using the western calendar was available (west_dob). From this variable birth year and
birth month were computed. Age was also computed and any missing values from this computation were
completed by using the variable u1 which was provided by the CHNS study. The final variable u1 was then
used to estimate birth year in cases where there were missing values.
c There were several variables used to identify if the respondent was born in the UK. These include the
three variables listed in the table.
d There were slight variations in the definition of birth year for South Africa, Russia and Mexico
(q1010_yy).
e The information for birthplace and being born in a rural area variable is incomplete within the cross
national data set because it was asked the first time the respondent was interviewed in HRS. Thus, for the
HRS 2000 survey year, this information will be missing for individuals who were previously surveyed.
f HRS asked residence during childhood for only for a subset of respondents.
g WLS does not have a variable which defines US state born for all 10,317 respondents. Variable ie003re
contains only a subset of WLS respondents. However, the variable ie0031re suggests that the number of
foreign born WLS respondents is very low. Thus, ruralFIN is defined using only information from rlur5.
This definition is different from how ruralFIN was coded in other surveys.
3.4.2 Childhood health
Table 3.8 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for early life childhood health. Mother’s education is thought to
be very closely associated with childhood health and so is listed here in this table. A
description of relevant original variables can be found in appendices according to
country. Several surveys had additional variables reflecting childhood environment. See
for example PREHCO, MHAS, WLS, and SHARE-LIFE (Wave 3) in the country-specific
appendices of this report.
The variables childhealth_ provide the country-specific definitions used to report
childhood health. Poorchealth is the rating by respondents of their childhood health.
It is harmonized because not all countries had the same scaling for the question
regarding self-reported health (see Appendix C for more detail). Mothereduc_ is a
country-specific variable indicating how mother’s education was defined in a particular
country. Motheroccup_ is a country-specific variable defining mother’s occupation.
Hunger, tb, asthma, malaria, rheumatic indicate whether a respondent
experienced hunger, had tuberculosis, asthma, malaria or rheumatic fever as a child.
Not all countries had questions regarding specific illnesses in childhood. Some did
appear in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data file.
25
Mother’s education was defined as her level of education completed. Their educational
level was grouped by having had no formal education or as attending primary school,
secondary school, or more than secondary school. No school was defined as zero years of
education. Primary school was defined as completing any level of education through the
sixth grade. Secondary school was defined as completing any level of education from
seventh through twelfth grade. More than secondary school was defined as completing
anything higher than twelfth grade.
IMR is the country-specific infant mortality rate in 1930. IMR_PR was constructed to
reflect the IMR in Puerto Rico according to the birthplace (municipality) of the
respondent. Riskdiab is based on the variable g109 from the Puerto Rican survey has
information regarding if respondent’s parents or siblings have diabetes.
Table 3.8: Relationship between constructed and original variables for
childhood health
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
childhealth
poorchealth
hunger
mothereduc
motheroccup
(see note a)
Bangladesh-MHSS
(see note b)
(see note b)
China-CHNS
China-CLHLS
f66
Costa Rica-CRELES
in2
in2
a18
England-ELSA
difjob
Indonesia-IFLS
ba07am,
ba08m
ba13m
Latin American cities-
SABE
c27
c27
c30
Mexico-MHAS
a8
f1
Netherlands-SHARE
(see note c)
(see note c)
(see note
c)
(see note c)
(see note c)
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
h14
h14
h6c
h6d
SAGE
q1028
q1025,
q1026
Taiwan-SEBAS
US-HRS
(see note
d)
(see note d)
(see note d)
US-WLS
ixc01rer
ixc01rer
edmo57q
Notes:
a Mother occupation was available in some surveys (e.g. Bangladesh, England, Indonesia, Netherlands,
SAGE, Puerto Rico) but in instances such as Puerto Rico information was largely missing. A constructed
variable was created with information from selected countries such as SAGE and Indonesia only
(motheroccup). Occupational codes for mother will need to be reviewed in surveys from Bangladesh,
Netherlands and ELSA.
b Mother education was compiled in Bangladesh using several pieces of information asked in the survey
regarding parents who were alive and lived in the same household, parents living in another household,
and parents who were dead (Book 3, section ed1 variables ed03,ed06, ed08a, lh03, par02m).
c Much more detailed information about childhood conditions is available from the SHARE data. See
Appendix L: Netherlands for more information.
26
d In 1996, HRS had a module covering childhood conditions that not all people answered. In subsequent
waves, these questions were included. Childhood health in HRS was identified according to the wave in
which it was first asked respondents from 1996, 1998 and 2000. The same note pertains to parental
education.
3.4.3 Childhood nutrition
Table 3.9 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables from
country-specific surveys for early life childhood health. A description of relevant original
variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Table 3.9: Relationship between constructed
and original variables for childhood nutrition
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
height
knee, sitting height, leg length
Bangladesh-MHSS
ca05cm, ca05mm
China-CHNS
height
China-CLHLS
g102b
Costa Rica-CRELES
k4b, k4c
k5b, k5c
England-ELSA
htval, htok
sithgt
Indonesia-IFLS
us04
Latin American cities-SABE
k05 (see note a)
k06 (see note a)
Mexico-MHAS
l4, c72
l8
Netherlands-SHARE
ph013_
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
u1_p
u5_p, wu6l1, wu6l2
SAGE
q2506
Taiwan-SEBAS
height
US-HRS
(see note b)
US-WLS
ix010rec
Notes:
a Variables for SABE-Cuba were slightly different because three values were recorded for each of the
anthropometric measures.
b Height (self-reported) was obtained in HRS in the first interview where an older adult participated in
HRS. To obtain height for all respondents several waves of HRS were reviewed.
The constructed variable height indicates the respondents’ measured height in
centimeters. The variable knee indicates the measured knee height (while respondent is
seated, measured from the floor to the top of their knee) in centimeters. Leg is a
variable created to reflect leg length. Leg length for Puerto Rico comes from the second
wave only (wu6l1, wu6l2) and for ELSA from sitting height.
In most cases height and weight were measured by a person in the research team. In
some cases, height and weight were self-reported. This occurred, for example, in WLS,
HRS, and the Netherlands. This also occurred in MHAS where all respondents were
asked to self-report height and weight but height and weight was also measured in a
subset of respondents. In the case of MHAS the construction of height and weight
27
reflected measured variables where possible and then self-reported when measured was
not available. Several self-reported variables for MHAS are depicted by adding a capital
“S” after height, weight, obesity, and BMI variables.
From height, knee height and leg length several indicator variables were created.
Height25NEW indicates the quartile of height to which the respondent belongs.
Knee25NEW and leg25NEW indicate the quartile of knee height and leg length,
respectively, to which the respondent belongs. Leg25NEW was constructed from the
ELSA survey and used the variable leg which indicates a respondents’ leg length in
centimeters. Stunt was a variable to identify stunting as defined according to NHANES
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998; Beltrán-Sánchez, et al., 2011).
3.4.4 Childhood socioeconomic status
Table 3.10 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for early life childhood SES. A description of relevant
original variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Table 3.10: Relationship between constructed and original
variables for childhood SES
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
poorcecon
fathereduc
fatheroccup
Bangladesh-MHSS
(see note a)
(see note a)
China-CHNS
China-CLHLS
f84
Costa Rica-CRELES
in1
England-ELSA
difjob, difjobW2
Indonesia-IFLS
ba07ap, ba08p
ba13p
Latin American cities-SABE
c26
Mexico-MHAS
a7
f8
Netherlands-SHARE
isco_fa (see note b)
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
h1
h3a
rcode_h4 (see note b)
SAGE
q1032
q1029, q1030
Taiwan-SEBAS
US-HRS
(see note c)
(see note c)
(see note c)
US-WLS
edfa57q
ocf57
Notes:
a Father education was compiled in Bangladesh using several pieces of information asked in the survey
regarding parents who were alive and lived in the same household, parents living in another household,
and parents who were dead (Book 3, section ed1 variables ed03,ed06, ed08a, lh03, par02f). Variables
used to identify parental occupation are available in the Stata code for Bangladesh which is available upon
request.
b SHARE and PREHCO used the International Labor Organization’s ISCO-88 standard classification of
occupations (1996-2012).
c In 1996, HRS had a module covering childhood conditions that not all people answered. In subsequent
waves, these questions were included. Child SES in HRS was identified according to the wave in which it
was first asked respondents from 1996, 1998 and 2000.
28
The constructed harmonized variable poorcecon indicates the childhood SES standing
according to the older adult respondent. In several surveys from Latin America and the
Caribbean region and the US, a retrospective question asked respondents to rate their
childhood SES. Surveys used a different scale to define childhood SES, through all of
them ranged from good to bad. From the retrospective question, the variable poor
childhood SES was defined as a dichotomous variable (poor/average childhood SES or
good childhood SES). In surveys in which the retrospective question was not asked,
other childhood conditions were used to define childhood SES. In Mexico-MHAS,
childhood SES was defined as whether or not a respondent had a toilet in their home as
a child. This variable was a dichotomous variable (yes/no). Fathereduc_ and
fatheroccup_ is country-specific according to how the question about father
occupation was asked.
3.5 Adult lifestyle
3.5.1 Adult smoking
Table 3.11 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult smoking. A description of relevant original
variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Smoking was defined as only cigarette smoking for England, US-HRS, US-WLS, Puerto
Rico-PREHCO (100 cigarettes or more), Taiwan, Mexico-MHAS, and China-CHNS. In
the remaining countries, smoking was defined in the following manner:
Netherlands: Respondent smoked cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, or a pipe daily for
at least one year.
SABE cities: General smoking question. Follow-up question asks about number
of cigarettes, cigars, or pipes smoked per day.
Costa Rica: Respondent smoked more than 100 cigarettes or cigars during
his/her lifetime.
SAGE countries: Respondent smoked tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars,
pipes, chewing tobacco, snuff, or smokeless tobacco.
Bangladesh: Respondent smoked hookah, biri, cigarettes, or cigars. Smoking was
defined as smoking a hookah (an object used to smoke tobacco, typically), hand
rolled cigarettes and cigarettes/cigars. Variables pertaining to smoking items
other than tobacco smoking such as chewing PAN (betal leaf) are contained
within the country-specific data file for Bangladesh.
China-CLHLS: General smoking question.
Indonesia: Respondent smoked cigarettes or cigars.
Smoke_ is a country-specific variable with slight differences in the wording of the
smoking questions. Questions regarding adult smoking varied across countries in
wording and scaling as to whether the respondent had ever smoked, smoked in the past
or currently smoked.
29
Countries with identical wording and scaling for adult smoking were combined into the
variables smoke_gen and smoke_100. Smoke_gen combines Argentina,
Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, China-CHNS, China-CLHLS, China-SAGE, Cuba,
England, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Mexico-MHAS, Mexico-SABE, Mexico-SAGE,
Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Uruguay and US-WLS. Smoke_100 combines
Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and US-HRS. Smoke_taiw is specific to Taiwan. Smoke is a
harmonized version of smoke_. It is a dichotomous variable that indicates if the
respondent ever smoked or not. Appendix C provides a table describing the questions
selected from the surveys regarding smoking.
Table 3.11: Relationship between constructed and original variables for
adult smoking
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
smoke_
Bangladesh-MHSS
spn01b, spn02b, spn01c, spn02c, spn01d, spn02d
China-CHNS
u25, u27
China-CLHLS
d71, d72
Costa Rica-CRELES
ev8, ev10
England-ELSA
smkevr, hesmk, heska, heskaW2
Indonesia-IFLS/
km01a, km02, km04
Latin American cities-SABE
c24
Mexico-MHAS
c54, c55
Netherlands-SHARE
br001_, br002_
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
g161, g162
SAGE
q3001, q3002
Taiwan-SEBAS
smk
US-HRS
V298, V501, W452, D942, E942, F1266, G1400 (see note a)
US-WLS
ixt01rer, ix012rer, ixt07rer
Notes:
a A question about every smoking for HRS was asked once during the first wave in which the older adult
participated in the HRS study. Thus, several waves of HRS were reviewed to obtain information about
respondents in the year 2000.
3.5.2 Adult exercise
Table 3.12 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult exercise. A description of relevant original
variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Exercise refers to the respondents who indicated that they participate in some type of
exercise. In US-HRS, SABE cities, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Mexico-MHAS, this is
defined as vigorous physical activity (including sports, heavy work, or other physical
work) three or more times a week. In the Netherlands, England, and US-WLS, this is
defined as vigorous physical activity, without a specified timeframe. In the remaining
countries, exercise was defined in the following manner:
30
SAGE countries: Respondent participates in vigorous-intensity activity that
causes large increases in breathing or heart rate (e.g. heavy lifting, digging,
chopping wood) for at least 10 minutes continuously.
Taiwan: Respondent participates in exercise (not defined further).
China-CLHLS: The type or degree of exercise is not specified in survey.
China-CHNS: Respondent participates in heavy or very heavy physical activities
during the work day in a week (e.g. farmer, athlete, dancer, steel worker, lumber
worker, mason, etc.).
Bangladesh: Survey does not ask about exercise behaviors.
Indonesia: Survey does not ask about exercise behaviors.
Exercise_ is a country-specific description of exercise. Questions regarding adult
exercise varied across countries in wording and scaling as to the respondents’ level of
vigorous exercise. A variable called exercise_rigor was created for cases where
surveys had similar concepts for vigorous exercise (CRELES, PREHCO, HRS, MHAS,
ELSA, SABE, CHNS, MHAS, SHARE, SAGE). A variable was created exercise_WLS to
indicate that exercise was determined from question regarding how many hours per
month a respondent exercised. In China and Taiwan a more general question about
exercise was asked and so a variable exercise_gen was created (SEBAS, CLHLS).
From the country-specific variables a harmonized dichotomous variable (exercise) was
then created to indicate if the person exercised or not. Indonesia and Bangladesh had no
information for adult exercise. Appendix C provides a table describing the questions
selected from the surveys regarding exercise.
Table 3.12: Relationship between constructed and
original variables for adult exercise
Constructed Variables/
Original Variables
Countries
exercise_
Bangladesh-MHSS
China-CHNS
u142
China-CLHLS
d91, d92
Costa Rica-CRELES
ev14
England-ELSA
heacta
Indonesia-IFLS
Latin American cities-SABE
c25a
Mexico-MHAS
c53
Netherlands-SHARE
br015_
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
g167
SAGE
q3016, q3025
Taiwan-SEBAS
b8
US-HRS
G1395
US-WLS
ixe02rer
31
3.5.3 Adult alcohol consumption
Table 3.13 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult alcohol consumption. A description of relevant
original variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Drinking refers to the respondents who indicated that they drink alcoholic beverages.
The timeframes for drinking habits varied, anywhere from drinking in the last three
months (SABE cities, Puerto Rico), the last six months (Netherlands, Taiwan), the last
year (England, China-CHNS), to anytime in their lifetime (US-HRS, US-WLS, Costa
Rica, Mexico-MHAS). In the remaining countries, drinking was defined in the following
manner:
SAGE countries: Respondent drank an alcoholic beverage in their lifetime (past
drinker) or in the last 30 days (present drinker).
China-CLHLS: Respondent drinks alcohol at present or drank alcohol in the past.
Bangladesh: Survey does not ask about drinking behaviors.
Indonesia: Survey does not ask about drinking behaviors.
From the country-specific variables a harmonized dichotomous variable (drink) was
created to indicate if the person ever drinks alcohol or not. Respondents in the
Bangladesh and Indonesia surveys were not asked about alcohol consumption.
Appendix C provides a table describing the questions selected from the surveys
regarding exercise.
Table 3.13: Relationship between constructed and
original variables for adult alcohol consumption
Constructed Variables/
Original Variables
Countries
drink
Bangladesh-MHSS
China-CHNS
u40
China-CLHLS
d81, d82
Costa Rica-CRELES
ev1
England-ELSA
scako
Indonesia-IFLS
Latin American cities-SABE
c23
Mexico-MHAS
c60
Netherlands-SHARE
br010_
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
g155
SAGE
q3007, q3008
Taiwan-SEBAS
alc
US-HRS
G1415
US-WLS
ixab01re
Notes: Some surveys such as ELSA have a quite detailed drinking history (e.g. scal7a-7b, scdri*). These
variables appear in the country-specific data for ELSA and are listed Appendix H.
32
3.5.4 Adult diet
There are no constructed variables for adult diet. Several surveys had questions on adult
diet including China-CHNS, China-CLHLS, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico-PREHCO, Taiwan-
SEBAS, SAGE and SABE.
The China-CHNS Community Survey includes extensive information on household diet.
In China-CLHLS, respondents were asked several questions regarding their diet. Survey
staff collected data on the respondents’ staple food, consumption of fruits and
vegetables, frequency of consumption of a variety of foods including meat, fish, and
eggs, and preparation of water drank. Costa Rican respondents were asked about their
consumption of major food groups in the last 10 years. Puerto Rican respondents were
asked how many complete meals they eat per day to measure diet. In Taiwan, adult diet
was defined with a dichotomous variable (yes/no) asking whether respondents eat three
vegetables and two fruits a day and a dichotomous variable (yes/no) asking whether
respondents drink milk every day. The SAGE survey asked respondents about their
consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as how frequently they go hungry. In SABE,
diet was measured using several questions. Data were collected on respondents’
consumption of major food groups as well as whether the respondent goes hungry and
considers him/herself well-nourished.
3.5.5 Health care utilization
Table 3.5.5 describes the relationship between the constructed variable healthuse and
original variables from country-specific surveys for health care utilization. A description
of relevant original variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Appendix C also provides questions used to construct this variable across countries.
Table 3.5.5: Relationship between constructed and
original variables for health care utilization
Constructed Variables/
Original Variables
Countries
healthuse
Bangladesh-MHSS
oc01_1- oc01_16
China-CHNS
---
China-CLHLS
f61
Costa Rica-CRELES
f15
England-ELSA
---
Indonesia-IFLS
rj00a
Latin American cities-SABE
f031
Mexico-MHAS
d8_5
Netherlands-SHARE
hc002_
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
k25
SAGE
q5026
Taiwan-SEBAS
b13
US-HRS
G2603- G2606
US-WLS
ixhi01re
33
Notes: Most surveys had a questions regarding health utilization over the time period of one
year. CHNS had a question about health utilization during the last month and so was not
included.
3.6 Adult health outcomes
3.6.1 Self-reported health
Table 3.14 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult self-reported health. A description of relevant
original variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Table 3.14: Relationship between constructed and
original variables for self-reported health
Constructed Variables/
Original Variables
Countries
health
poorhealth
Bangladesh-MHSS
gh01
gh01
China-CHNS
u48a
u48a
China-CLHLS
b12
b12
Costa Rica-CRELES
c1
c1
England-ELSA
hehelf
hehelf
Indonesia-IFLS
kk01
kk01
Latin American cities-SABE
c01
c01
Mexico-MHAS
c1
c1
Netherlands-SHARE
srhealtha
srhealtha
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
g1
g1
SAGE
q2000
q2000
Taiwan-SEBAS
b1
b1
US-HRS
G1226
G1226
US-WLS
gx201re, ix001rer
Adult health was defined using a general question asking respondents to rate their
current state of health. Surveys used a different scale to define self-reported health,
ranging from excellent to poor health. Health_ is country-specific or survey-specific
depending on similarities in the scaling of the question. Poorhealth was harmonized
based on the different scales for self-reported health (see Appendix C).
In addition to self-reported health variables, there are three variations of an indicator of
good health: goodhealth, goodhealth2, goodhealth3. The indicator is a composite
measure of good health following closely the approach used in the creation of an
international recognized generic indicator of health status, the Short- Form (SF)-12.
The SF-12 is a series of 12 questions which measures physical and mental health
dimensions based on 3-item or 5-item scales. Its validity and reliability has been well
tested across many different countries (McDowell, 2006). In the case of the selected
countries for the cross national data set, the SF-12 questions were not asked in all the
surveys. However, it was possible to create an indicator of “good health” that was more
objective in nature rather than relying, for example, solely on questions of self-reported
health. The indicator of health status called goodhealth included three dimensions:
34
(1) self-reported health; (2) BMI; and (3) frailty (functionality). To combine the three
dimensions of health into a composite index of good health a simple rule was followed in
the SF-12 (McDowell, 2006): for each respondent the non-missing number of responses
for all three dimensions of health was summed and then rescaled all responses to a 0-
100 scale, normalizing the scale to the minimum and maximum sum possible within the
non-missing items. To have a valid score for good health, respondents had to have at
least two non-missing responses. Very preliminary analysis of this measure has shown
that it has good construct validity (McEniry, 2009). Modifications of goodhealth
included adding a fourth dimension for chronic conditions (specifically heart disease
and diabetes) (goodhealth2) and including only BMI and functionality
(goodhealth3).
3.6.2 Functionality/disability
Table 3.15 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult functionality/disability. A description of relevant
original variables can be found in appendices according to country.
There is no consensus on the definition of frailty (Bergman et al., 2007; Rockwood &
Mitnitski, 2007), but physical limitations questions are used as one reasonable
definition of frailty. Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) reflect impairments associated
with underlying conditions that induce physiological limitations and deterioration and
provide a useful benchmark to calibrate demand for care, assistance, and support. ADLs
are good probes of physical functioning, particularly lower body functionality (Smith,
Branch & Scherr, 1990), and reflect impairment created by chronic conditions as well as
cognitive and affective functioning (Stump, Clark, Johnson, & Wolinsky, 1977; Wray,
Herzog & Park, 1996; Wray & Lynch, 1998).
NadlGT0, NadlGT0_alt and NiadlGT0 are country-specific functionality items
since countries differed in terms of inclusion of functionality items. Functionality was
based on ADLs developed by Katz and Akpom (1976) and defined by NadlGT0,
disability scales developed by Nagi (1976) and defined by NadlGT0_alt and
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) developed by Lawton and Brody (1969)
and defined by NiadlGT0.
A harmonized version of the Katz and Akpom items was constructed called
NadlGT0harm. ADLs were harmonized according to Pluijm et al. (2005) by selecting
items in common across most countries (bathing, dressing, toileting and
transferring). In the case of countries which do not have a particular item (Costa
Rica—difficulty in dressing, Indonesia—toileting and transferring, and China-CHNS—
transferring), items were constructed using Nagi physical performance measures
following guidelines developed by Pluijm et al. (2005). Country-specific Cronbach alpha
and the Kuder-Richardson coefficient of reliability (Kuder & Richardson, 1937) were
used to test the internal consistency and the reliability of the items. A dichotomous
variable was defined for reporting at least one ADL (1=at least one difficulty, 0=none)
and then the construct validity was assessed by examining the country-specific
relationship between disability and age group. Results from harmonizing the ADLs show
35
very good country-specific reliability and validity of the harmonized ADL measure. In all
countries, (1) internal consistency was very high (kr20 ranged from 0.66-0.93); (2) age
was significantly associated with reporting at least one ADL; and (3) there were
significant associations between poor self-reported health and disability. In most
countries there were significant associations between disability and adult heart disease,
diabetes and obesity.
Table 3.15: Relationship between constructed and original
variables for functionality/disability
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
NadlGT0
NadlGT0_alt
NiadlGT0
Bangladesh-
MHSS
gh09J-gh09M
gh09A-gh09I
China-CHNS
u167, u169, u171,
u172, u173
u157-u166
u174, u175, u176,
u177, u178
China-
CLHLS
e1-e6
e11-e13
e7-e10, e14
Costa Rica-
CRELES
d6, d8, d11, d13, d16,
d19
d2-d4
d21, d23, d25,
d27
England-
ELSA
headb01-headb13
(see note a)
heada01-
heada10
headb01-headb13
(see note a)
Indonesia-
IFLS
kk03f, kk03h
kk03a- kk03e,
kk03i, kk03j,
kk03g
Latin
American
cities-SABE
d11, d13a, d14a, d15a,
d16a, d17a
d02-d10, d01a,
d01b, d01c
d18a-d25a
Mexico-
MHAS
h15_1, h13, h16_1,
h12, h17_1, h18_1,
h19_1 (see note b)
h1-h11
h26_1, h27_1,
h28_1, h29_1
Netherlands-
SHARE
ph049d1-ph049d6
ph048d1-
ph048d10
ph049d7-
ph049d13
Puerto Rico-
PREHCO
i9-i14
i1-i7
SAGE
q2037, q2038, q2041
- q2044
q2025 - q2031,
q2034 - q2036,
q2040
q2032, q2033,
q2045, q2046,
q2039
Taiwan-
SEBAS
b7_1 - b7_6
b5_1 - b5_9
b6_1 - b6_6
US-HRS
G2725, G2723,
G2742, G2752,
G2762, G2775
G2689, G2690,
G2692, G2695,
G2698, G2701,
G2704, G2707,
G2710, G2713,
G2716, G2719
G2860, G2916,
G2865, G2870,
G2875
US-WLS
ixch03re -
ixch09re
Note: Many surveys have performance measures which can be used to confirm self-reported functionality
(see Appendix C or country specific appendices for more detail). Appendix C also provides more detail
36
regarding the components of ADLs, IADLs and Nagi items used across surveys. Constructing
functionality variables for ADLs was not straightforward in some cases such as US-HRS due to complex
skip patterns embedded in the survey instrument.
a In the ELSA survey, the variables headb01-headb13 contained values corresponding to both ADLs and
IADLs.
b In MHAS survey, the variable h12 (picking up a coin from the table) was used to complement the ADL
for difficulty with eating. For those who had no difficulty picking up a coin, they also were identified as
having no difficulty with eating.
3.6.3 Chronic conditions
Table 3.16 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult functionality. A description of relevant original
variables can be found in appendices according to country.
Survey data on older adults use self-reported questions to estimate the prevalence of
chronic conditions. Respondents were asked if they had ever been diagnosed by a
medical professional with certain conditions. In some cases, surveys have biomarkers or
symptoms questions which help address the problem of underestimation of self-
reported health. CRELES, SEBAS and SAGE have biomarker data. The SAGE surveys
have symptom questions for some chronic conditions based on validated measures
which complement self-reported health. There are other surveys which have symptom
questions (PREHCO) but SAGE has complete symptom questions based on the Rose
(1962, 1977) questionnaire.
Chronic conditions of interest to the cross national data set include hypertension,
diabetes, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, tuberculosis, stroke, arthritis, osteoporosis,
and heart attack. Each of these conditions was defined with a dichotomous variable (the
respondent has/does not have the chronic condition). From responses to self-reports,
variables for major chronic conditions were constructed: hypertension, cancer,
respiratory, heart, heart_2, angina, heart_attack, diabetes, stroke, and
arthritis. From these variables, country-specific variables were constructed which
reflect the number of chronic conditions (Nchronic) and if the respondent reported at
least one chronic condition (onechronic).
In some countries, there are additional chronic conditions. For example, in China-
CLHLS, Indonesia, and Mexico-MHAS respondents were asked to identify if they had
tuberculosis (g15f2, cd05c, a9a respectively). SABE respondents were asked to identify
if they had osteoporosis (c11e). Several countries had questions regarding depression.
Puerto Rico had a variable indicating heart attack (g35). SAGE surveys include asthma
(q4033). See Appendix C and country-specific appendices for more information.
3.6.4 Anthropometric measures
Table 3.17 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult anthropometric measures such as weight, waist
and hip (height, knee height and leg are reported earlier in the table on childhood
37
nutrition). Weight indicates the respondents’ measured weight in kilograms. Waist
and hip indicate the respondents’ measured waist and hip in centimeters.
Height and weight measurements or self-reported values were obtained for more surveys of
older adults. From height and weight, a variable reflecting body mass index and dichotomous
variables for obesity were created (bmi, bmiS, bmi_cat, obesity, and obesityS). Bmi
indicates the respondents’ body mass index (calculated using weight/height2). Bmi_cat
categorizes respondents into body mass index categories (severely underweight,
underweight, normal, overweight, and obese). WLS has a variable called ix011rec which
is a variable for BMI already calculated by survey staff. Obesity was a dichotomous
variable (0-not obese, 1-obese) calculated from the constructed variables bmi and
bmi_cat and defined as obese for respondents with a BMI greater or equal to 30. A
description of relevant original variables can be found in appendices according to
country.
Table 3.17: Relationship between constructed and original variables
for anthropometric measures
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
weight
waist
hip
Bangladesh-MHSS
ca07gm, ca07km
China-CHNS
weight
u10
u9
China-CLHLS
g101
Costa Rica-CRELES
k3b, k3c
k6b, k6c
k7b, k7c
England-ELSA
wtval, wtok
wstval, wstokb
hipval,
hipokb
Indonesia-IFLS
us06
us06a
us06b
Latin American cities-SABE
k11
(see note a)
k08
(see note a)
k09
(see note a)
Mexico-MHAS
l3, c71
l5
l6
Netherlands-SHARE
ph012_
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
u4_l
u2_p
u3_p
SAGE
q2507
q2508
q2509
Taiwan-SEBAS
weight
waist
hip
US-HRS
G1425
US-WLS
ix009rer
Notes: in most surveys, trained personnel from survey staff took measurements for different
anthropometric features such as height, knee height, weight, hip and waist. The following surveys had
only self-reported height and weight: HRS, WLS, and the Netherlands. MHAS had self-reports for most
respondents and a subset where trained interviewers took measurements.
a Variables for SABE-Cuba were slightly different because three values were recorded for each of the
anthropometric measures.
38
Table 3.16: Relationship between constructed and original variables for key chronic conditions
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
hypertension
diabetes
cancer
respiratory
heart
stroke
arthritis
Bangladesh-MHSS
cm01_8
cm01_7
cm01_2
China-CHNS
u22
u24a
u24j
u24l
China-CLHLS
g15a2
g15b2
g15i2
g15e2
g15c2
g15d2
g15n2
Costa Rica-
CRELES
c4
c10
c18
c22
c32, c26
c35
c41
England-ELSA
(see note a)
hedia01-
hedia07
hedia01-
hedia07
hedib01-
hedib05
hedib01-
hedib04
hedia01-
hedia07
hedia01-
hedia07
hedib01-
hedib04
Indonesia-IFLS
cd05A
(see note b)
cd05B
(see note b)
cd05I
(see note b)
cd05E
(see note b)
cd05F
(see note b)
cd05H
(see note b)
cd05J
(see note b)
Latin American
cities-SABE
c04
c05
c06
c07
c08
c09
c10
Mexico-MHAS
c4
c6
c12
c19
c22
c27
c34
Netherlands-
SHARE
ph006d2
ph006d5
ph006d10
ph006d6
ph006d1
ph006d4
ph006d8
Puerto Rico-
PREHCO
g4
g8
g24
g31
g36
(see note c)
g40
g49
SAGE
q4060
q4022
q4025
q4014- q4020
(see note d)
q4010
q4001
Taiwan-SEBAS
b4a_1
b4a_2
b4a_5
b4a_6
b4a_3
b4a_4
b4a_7
US-HRS
G1238
G1245
G1262
G1279
G1289
G1309
G1327
US-WLS
gx341re
gx342re
gx348re
ix089rer,
ix085rer
gx351re
gx356re
gx360re
Notes:
a The identification of chronic conditions is complicated in ELSA. To determine whether ELSA identified a chronic condition, the first wave had to
be reviewed. Then, from the second wave (or the baseline for the cross national data set), all chronic conditions had to be double checked to see if
respondents were still reporting the same condition. ELSA uses identical variables from wave to wave in some cases. In the cross national data,
variables were renamed with wave identifiers. For example, the variables hedia* and hedib* from wave 1 are now W1hedia* and W1hedib*. If there
were discrepancies between wave 1 and wave 2, the hedian* and hediam* variables were used to verify the reason for such discrepancies.
b Chronic conditions for the Indonesia survey taken from the 2007 survey. Most of the other data regarding Indonesia is from the 2000 survey.
c Puerto Rico also has a question asking about heart attack.
d SAGE heart variable includes a self-reported question but also several symptom questions based on the Rose questionnaire (1962, 1977).
39
3.6.5 Mortality
Table 3.18 describes the relationship between the constructed and original variables
from country-specific surveys for adult mortality. Indicated also are the countries where
mortality data were available. A description of relevant original variables can be found
in appendices according to country.
Table 3.18: Relationship between constructed and original variables
for adult mortality
Constructed Variables/Original Variables
Countries
deadFIN
Other variables found in
country-specific files
Mortality data
available?
Bangladesh-MHSS
(see note a)
Yes
China-CHNS
dod, t7_00, t7_06,
dod_rpt
Yes
China-CLHLS
d5vyear
d5vyear, v_bthyr
Yes
Costa Rica-CRELES
muerto
Yes
England-ELSA c
mortfin
yrdeath, agedead2, maincod,
mortwave
Yes
Indonesia-IFLS
died07
Yes
Latin American
cities-SABE
No
Mexico-MHAS
fallecido03
sa6
Yes
Netherlands-
SHARE
deadoralive
Yes
Puerto Rico-
PREHCO
tipo_e (see note b)
cause_recode_72
Yes
SAGE
No
Taiwan-SEBAS
No
US-HRS
KALIVE, NYEAR
Yes
US-WLS c
deatyr, deatmn
gw006ifc, livgrad, deatmn,
ndi01-ndi46
Yes
Notes:
a Dead was identified from mortality data given to author for use in the cross national data. No original
variable is available.
b The variable tipo_e is from the PREHCO questionnaire. This information was complemented with NDI
data to identify deceased respondents.
c In WLS and ELSA, all observations are coded as either dead or “assumed to be alive.”
A variable dead includes an identification of missing values if there were any (-1). In the
case of ELSA and WLS for the years covered it appears that there were no missing
values. The variable deadFIN assumes that missing are alive and thus eliminates the
category of missing. Additional variables relating to death (date of death, cause of death)
are indicated in the table where these data were available. In Puerto Rico, the cause of
death was defined by the National Death Index (NDI) using the International Statistical
Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems codes (ICD-9) including but not
40
limited to heart disease, cancer, respiratory, diabetes, cerebrovascular, atherosclerosis,
infection, Alzheimer’s disease, renal failure, accidents, digestive, ill defined, and other.
In all countries with mortality data, mortality rates can be computed based on interview
and death dates if available.
4. References
Beltrán-Sánchez H, Crimmins EM, Teruel GM, Thomas D. (2011). Links Between
Childhood and Adult Social Circumstances and Obesity and Hypertension in the
Mexican Population. J Aging Health. 23, 1141. doi: 10.1177/0898264311422255.
Bergman, H., et al. (2007). Frailty: An Emerging Research and Clinical Paradigm—
Issues and Controversies. Journal of Gerontology, 62A(7), 731-737.
Brenes, G. (2008). The effect of early life events on the burden of diabetes mellitus
among Costa Rican elderly: estimates and projections. PhD Dissertation. University of
Wisconsin—Madison.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1998). Pediatric nutrition surveillance,
1997 full report. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
CRELES research team, personal communication, fall 2011.
Gertler, P., Frankenberg, E., & Karoly, L. Indonesia Family Life Surveys (IFLS). Los
Angeles, CA: University of California-Los Angeles [distributor], accessed 2009-07-27.
http://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS.html,
http://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS/access2.html.
Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Chang, M-C., Lin, H-S., Chang, Y-L., Lin, S-J., & Wu, S-I.
Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) in Taiwan, 2000 and
2006. ICPSR03792-v5. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and
Social Research [distributor], accessed 2003, accessed 2007-01-12.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/03792/version/5.
Gu, D. (2007). General Data Quality Assessment for the 2005 CLHLS wave. Center for
the Study of Aging and Human Development. CLHLS Technical Report No. 2007-1.
Gu, D. (n.d.). General Data Quality Assessment of the CLHLS. In Y. Zeng, D.L. Poston,
D.A. Vlosky, and D. Gu (Eds.), Healthy Longevity in China: Demographic,
Socioeconomic, and Psychological Dimensions (pp. 39-59). Dordrecht, The
Netherlands: Springer.
Herd, P., Hauser, R.M., Herd, P., & Sewell, W.H. Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS)
[graduates, siblings, and spouses]. 1957-2005 Version 12.27 [machine-readable data
41
file]. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison, WLS [distributor], accessed 2012-
07-01. http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/,
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/documentation/.
International Epidemiological Association. (2012). Cohort Profile: The China Health
and Nutrition Survey—monitoring and understanding socioeconomic and health change
in China, 1989-2011. Table 2. CHNS response rates at the individual and household
levels.
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2009/11/03/ije.dyp322/T2.expansion.html
.
International Labour Organization (ILO). (1996-2012). ISCO: International Standard
Classification of Occupations: Welcome to the ISCO website.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/stat/isco/index.htm.
International Standard Classification of Education (2011).
http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/UNESCO_GC_36C-
19_ISCED_EN.pdf.
Juster, F.T. & Willis, R.J. Health and Retirement Study (HRS). University of Michigan:
Institute for Social Research [distributor]: accessed 2008-07-01, accessed 2012.
http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/.
Katz, S., & Akpom, C.A. (1976). Index of ADL. Medical Care, 14, 116-118.
Kuder, G.F., & Richardson, M.W. (1937). The theory of the estimation of test reliability.
Psychometrika, 2, 151-60.
Lawton MP, Brody EM. (1969). Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and
instrumental activities of daily living. Gerontologist 9:179-186.
Little, R.J.A. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with
missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198-1202.
Mannheim Research Institute for Economics of Ageing (MEA). Survey of Health, Ageing
and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Research Data Center [distributor], accessed 2011-
05-12. http://www.share-project.org/, http://www.share-project.org/data-access-
documentation.html.
McDowell, I. (2006). Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires.
New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.
McEniry, M. 2009. “Mortality decline in the Twentieth Century, early life conditions
and the health of aging populations in the developing world.” Working paper #2009-
04, Center for Demography & Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
42
Menken, J. & Phillips, J.F. (1990). Population change in a rural area of Bangladesh,
1967-87. Annals of the Academy of Political and Social Science 510, 87-101.
Mexican health and aging study (MHAS). (2003). Overview.
http://www.mhas.pop.upenn.edu/english/project_ov.htm
Nagi, S.Z. (1976). An Epidemiology of Disability among Adults in the United States. The
Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly. Health and Society, 54(4), 439-467.
National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), University College London, & Institute
for Fiscal Studies (IFS). English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Economic and
Social Data Service [distributor], accessed 2011-03-29. http://www.ifs.org.uk/ELSA,
http://www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal/access/elsa/l5050.asp.
Office for National Statistics. (2007). Longitudinal studies (October 07). South Wales:
Office for National Statistics.
Omran, A.R. (1971). The epidemiologic transition: A theory of the epidemiology of
population change. The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly, 49(4), 509-37.
Palloni A, Peláez M. (n.d.) Survey on Health and Well-Being of Elders-SABE. Page 28.
SABE (2003).
Palloni, A. (1981). Mortality in Latin America: Emerging patterns. Population and
Development Review, 7(4), 623-649.
Palloni, A., & Dávila, A.L. Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO), Wave 1,
2002-2003. QM-504-001-1-2-United States-DISC-2002. Madison, WI: Data and
Information Services Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison [distributor], accessed
2007-07-17. http://prehco.rcm.upr.edu/,
http://www.disc.wisc.edu/archive/prehco/index_prehco1.html.
Palloni, A., & Dávila, A.L. Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO), Wave 2,
2006-2007. QM-504-002-1-2-Puerto Rico-DISC-2006. Madison, WI: Data and
Information Services Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison [distributor], accessed
2007-07-17. http://www.disc.wisc.edu/archive/prehco/index_prehco2.html.
Palloni, A., McEniry, M., Wong, R., & Peláez, M. (2007). Ageing in Latin America and
the Caribbean: Implications of Past Mortality. Proceedings of the United Nations Expert
Group Meeting on Social and Economic Implications of Changing Population Age
Structures, pp. 253-284, 31 Aug-2 Sept, 2005, in Mexico City, Mexico.
Pelaez, M., Palloni, A., Albala, C., Alfonso, J.C., Ham-Chande, R., Hennis, A., et al. SABE
– Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2000.
ICPSR03546-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social
Research [distributor], accessed 2004-08-13, accessed 2010-04-30.
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sabe/home.html, doi:10.3886/ICPSR03546.v1
43
Pluijm, S.M., Bardage, C., Nikula, S., Blumstein, T., Jylhä, M., Minicuci, N., Zunzunegui,
M.V., Pedersen, N.L., & Deeg D.J. (2005). A harmonized measure of activities of daily
living was a reliable and valid instrument for comparing disability in older people across
countries. J. Clin Epidemiol, 58(10), 1015-23.
Popkin, B.M., Du, S., Zhai, F., & Zhang, B. (2009). Cohort Profile: The China Health and
Nutrition Survey—monitoring and understanding socioeconomic and health change in
China, 1989-2011. Int J Epidemiol. Doi:10.1093/ije/dyp322.
Rahman O, et al. (1999). The 1996 Matlab Health and Socioeconomic Survey: Overview
and User’s Guide. RAND Corporation. DRU-2018/1-NIA.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/drafts/DRU2018z1.html.
Rahman, O., Menken, J., Foster, A., & Gertler, P. Matlab [Bangladesh] Health and
Socioeconomic Survey (MHSS), 1996. ICPSR02705-v5. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university
Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], accessed 2008-04-25.
http://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/MHSS.html,
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/02705/version/5.
RAND Survey Meta Data Repository. (1994-2011). Welcome to the Survey Meta Data
Repository. https://mmicdata.rand.org/megametadata/.
Research on Early Life and Aging: Trends and Effects (RELATE). (2013). PI M.
McEniry. Produced and distributed by the University of Michigan: Institute for Social
Research, ICPSR [distributor]. Anticipated release date: Summer 2013.
Rockwood, K., & Mitnitski, A. (2007). Frailty in Relation to the Accumulation of
Deficits. Journal of Gerontology, 62A, 7, 722-727.
Rose, G., Reid, D.D., Hamilton, P.J.S., McCartney, P., Keen, H., & Jarrett, R.J. (1977).
Myocardial Ischaemia, Risk Factors and Death from Coronary Heart Disease. Lancet,
309(8003), 105-109.
Rose, G.A. (1962). The Diagnosis of Ischaemic Heart Pain and Intermittent Claudication
in Field Surveys. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 27, 645-658.
Rosero-Bixby, L., Fernándex, X., & Dow, W.H. CRELES: Costa Rican Longevity and
Healthy Aging Study, 2005 (Costa Rica Estudio de Longevidad y Envejecimiento
Saludable). ICPSR26681-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political
and Social Research; Costa Rica: The Central American Population Center [distributor],
accessed 2007-07-09.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/26681/version/2.
SAGE research team, personal communication, Spring 2012.
44
Smith, L.A., Branch, L.G., & Scherr, P.A. (1990). Short-term variability of measures of
physical function in older people. Journal of American Geriatric Society, 38, 993-998.
Soldo, B.J., Wong, R., Palloni, A., & Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Geografia e
Informatica (INEGI). Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). Mexican Health and
Aging Study [distributor], accessed 2008-05-29.
http://www.mhas.pop.upenn.edu/english/home.htm,
http://www.mhas.pop.upenn.edu/english/documentation.htm.
Strauss, J. (2004). Indonesian Living Standards: Before and After the Financial Crisis.
Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.
Stump, T.E., Clark, D.O., Johnson, R.J., & Wolinsky, F.D. (1977). The structure of health
status among Hispanic, African American, and white older adults. Journals of
Gerontology, 52B(Special Issue), 49-60.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The Carolina Population Center, National
Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, & Chinese Center for Disease Control and
Prevention. China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). ICPSR176. Chapel Hill, NC:
University of North Carolina [distributor], accessed 2010-02-11.
http://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/china/data.
Westat, prepared by. Prepared for, US Department of Health and Human Services,
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and Office of Human
Services Policy. (2006). Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/06/catalog-ai-an-na/HRS.htm.
Wong R, Espinoza M. (2004). Response Rates in the Mexican Health and Aging Study
(MHAS/ENASEM) 2003. Project Report. Page 8.
World Bank. (2011). How We Classify Countries. http://data.worldbank.org/about/
country-classifications. Accessed 2008.
World Health Organization (WHO). (1977). International Statistical Classification of
Diseases and Related Health Problems. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health
Organization.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2000). The world health report 2000. Health
systems: improving performance. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2012). Choosing Interventions that are Cost
Effective (WHO-CHOICE): Purchasing Power Parity 2005.
http://www.who.int/choice/costs/ppp/en/index.html.
World Health Organization (WHO). SAGE: WHO Study on global AGEing and adult
health (SAGE). World Health Organization [distributor], accessed 2011.
45
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/systems/sage/en/index1.html,
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/systems/sage/en/.
Wray, L.A., & Lynch, J.W. (1998). The role of cognitive ability in links between disease
severity and functional ability in middle-aged adults. Presented at the Annual Meetings
of the Gerontological Society of America, in Nov, in Philadelphia, PA.
Wray, L.A., Herzog, A.R., & Park, D.C. (1996). Physical Health, Mental Health, and
Function Among Older Adults. Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Gerontological
Society of America, in Nov, in Washington, DC.
Yi, Z., Vaupel, J.W., Zhenyu, X., Yuzi, L., & Chunyuan, Z. Chinese Longitudinal Healthy
Longevity Survey (CLHLS), 1998-2005. ICPSR24901-v2. Center for the Study of Aging
and Human Development: Duke University. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university
Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], accessed 2009-06-19.
http://centerforaging.duke.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115
&Itemid=152, http://centerforaging.duke.edu/survey-datasets.
46
Appendix A: Original Funding Sources for Studies Included in the First Public Release of the
RELATE Data
For the China Health and Nutrition Study (CHNS), whose data is included as part of this data collection,
funding was obtained via the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, China Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, Carolina Population Center (5 R24 HD050924), the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R01-HD30880, DK056350, R24 HD050924, and R01-
HD38700) and the Fogarty International Center. Further, the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Ministry of
Health provided support for the CHNS study in 2009. Funding from these sources supported the CHNS data
collection and analysis files from 1989 to 2011 and future surveys.
For the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), whose data is included as part of this
data collection, funding was provided by the National Institute of Aging (NIA)/NIH grants R01 AG023627-
01 (PI: Zeng Yi) (Grant name: Demographic Analysis of Healthy Longevity in China) and P01 AG 008761
(PI: Zeng Yi; Program Project Director: James W. Vaupel), awarded to Duke University, with Chinese
matching support for personnel costs and some local expenses. UNFPA and the China Social Sciences
Foundation provided additional support for expanding the 2002 CLHLS survey. The Max Planck Institute
for Demographic Research has provided support for international training since the CLHLS 1998 baseline
survey. Finally, in December 2004 the China Natural Sciences Foundation and the Hong Kong Research
Grants Council (RGC) partnered with NIA/NIH, providing grants to partially support the CLHLS project.
The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES), whose data is also included as part of this
data collection, was conducted by the University of Costa Rica's Centro Centroamericano de Población in
collaboration with the Instituto de Investigaciones en Salud, with the support of the Wellcome Trust (grant
072406). The Principal Investigator is Luis Rosero-Bixby, with Co-Principal Investigators Xinia Fernández
(University of Costa Rica) and William H. Dow (University of California, Berkeley).
For the Puerto Rican Elderly (PREHCO) study, whose data is included as part of this data collection,
funding was obtained by NIA grant R01 AG1620901A2.
For the Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE) study, whose
data is included as part of this data collection, the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison supported the necessary activities towards the implementation of The SABE Research
and partially sponsored Dr. Alberto Palloni's participation. An Inter-Agency Agreement between the Pan
American Health Organization and The National Institute on Aging partially supported the technical
advisory activities with preparation of a database and preliminary analyses. In addition, a grant from The
National Institute on Aging allowed for Dr. Palloni's participation in technical consultation activities at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Finally, the SABE website was developed with assistance and funding
from the Center for Demography of Health and Aging.
For the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE), whose data is
included as part of this data collection, Wave II (conducted between 2007 and 2008) was supported by
WHO and the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the US National Institute on Aging, through
Interagency Agreements (OGHA 04034785; YA1323-08-CN-0020; Y1-AG-1005-01).
For the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), whose data is included as part of the data collection, funding
since 1991 has been supported principally by the National Institute on Aging (AG-9775 and AG-21079), with
additional support from the Vilas Estate Trust, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation,
and the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A public use file of data from the
47
Wisconsin Longitudinal Study is available from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (Address: University of
Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706) as well as via the WLS study
website.
48
Appendix B: Archiving and Preservation
Step #
Abstract
Details
Stage 1: Pre-Processing Review Stage
1.1 Convert file to SPSS; create
syntax; produce frequencies
Use StatTransfer for the conversion; Open SPSS, then paste datafile to
create syntax; generate a frequency output file by running SPSS through
Unix.
1.2
Review frequencies; make list
of issues requiring follow-up;
compare frequencies with
appendices
Review the frequency output file (.sps.out), create an excel spreadsheet
noting the filename, the problematic variable, and the issue that needs to
be resolved. This can be done to document discrepancies with the
appendix too.
Stage 2: Processing Stage
2.1
Fix issues that can be fixed
using materials deposited by
PI
To resolve discrepancies between the PI-supplied appendices and the
datafile, refer to the original data questionnaires. Use track changes to
modify the appendix. To modify the data/the labeling scheme, modify the
SPSS syntax file.
2.2
Contact PI / PI research
assistant for assistance in
resolving remaining issues
Provide a modified excel spreadsheet that includes the data filename, the
problematic variable, and a brief description of the problem
2.3
Incorporate PI / PI research
assistant feedback; make
changes
This step will require making additional modifications to the SPSS
syntax. If the changes needed are extensive, it might necessitate sending
the frequencies back to the PI/PI research assistant for a second review
Stage 3: Quality-Check (QC) Stage
3.1 Conduct an internal QC; Have
2-3 people review frequencies
Preliminary QCs requires temporary employees/research technicians to
review the frequencies and, if issues are spotted, to attempt to resolve the
issues. At this point, issues should be minor, necessitating little feedback
from the PIs.
3.2
Send files to PI and the DSDR
Archive Manager for QCs
These include updated frequencies and the modified appendices.
3.3
Make any final modifications
to the data based on the PI and
Archive Manager QCs
This step will require making additional modifications to the SPSS
syntax.
Stage 4: Hermes Stage
4.1 Run Hermes; fix any issues
with Hermes
Hermes is an internal ICPSR program that takes our processed datafile
(input) and produces data and setup files in SAS, SPSS, Stata, and R
format. It also produces a PDF codebook with frequencies and a data
completeness report. Sometimes errors occur when running Hermes, and
these need to be resolved before proceeding.
4.2 Conduct Hermes tests
Setup files produced by Hermes need to be QC-ed using a standardized
testing plan. Usually no issues arise, but occasionally errors need to be
resolved and Hermes must be run again.
Stage 5: Metadata / Documentation Compilation Stage
5.1 Compile the study metadata
Metadata is the study description, and ICPSR has a template that is used
to compile this based on documentation supplied by the PI. This is the
description that will appear in the study's page on the ICPSR website.
5.2 Send metadata for approval;
obtain documentation covers
The metadata template must be approved by the ICPSR metadata
editors; PDF document covers for the ICPSR-generated codebook(s) and
any documentation provided by the PIs that will be released must be
obtained from the editors.
5.3
Compile the study
documentation
Once covers are obtained, they must be merged with the ICPSR-
generated codebook(s) and any documentation provided by the PIs.
5.4
Obtain approval of
documentation
Documentation must be submitted to the documentation editors for
approval.
Stage 6: Turnover Stage
49
6.1 Compile a turnover directory
A turnover directory, complete with the Hermes-generated datafiles and
setup files, PDF documentation, and processing history (syntax) files is
compiled.
6.2
Conduct a turnover quality
check; obtain turnover
authorization
An internal program (turnqa) can be run to QC the turnover directory. If
the quality-checks pass, then turnover authorization is requested from
the Archive Manager.
6.3
Turnover study
An internal program (turnover -s) is run to turnover the study.
Stage 7: Preservation / Study Update Stage
7.1 Maintain the study files in a
secure location
Study files are organized in a secure data environment (SDE) and are
preserved; no datafiles are deleted, and processing history files serve as a
record of the modifications made to the data.
7.2 Update study as needed
The study can be updated by modifying existing data, removing parts of
the data, or adding more data. Study updates undergo the exact same
process as new studies.
Note: Table compiled by Tommaso Pavone, Research Technician Senior at Data-Sharing for Demographic Research
(DSDR), 5-8-2013.
50
Appendix C: Harmonization of Key Variables
OVERVIEW
Table C1 shows a description of the major variables within the cross national data set. The “X”s in the table
indicate that a country asked questions from which the corresponding variables could be constructed. Below
the table describes a cross national comparison of some of the selected variables and the questions and in
some cases the scales used.
Table A1: Summary of Key Variables
CLHLS
Indonesia
Costa Rica
Puerto Rico
WLS
HRS
MHAS
Taiwan
ELSA
CHNS
SABE
Bangladesh
Netherlands
SAGE
Countries
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11-17 18 19 20-25
variable ALL
Overall id x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
samplewgt x x x x x x x x x x x x
Dem ograph ic country country x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
gender gender x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
age age x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
demographic regime regime x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
health system hscore x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
current residence residence x x x x x x x x x
ethnicity ethnic_ x x x x x x x x x
Early Life height (cm) height x x x x x x x x x x x x x
weight (kilos) weight x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
waist waist x x x x x x x x x
knee (cm)/leg length knee, leg x x x x x x
month of birth quarter x x x x x x x x x x x x x
rural birthplace ruralFIN x x x x x x x x x x x
father education fathereduc x x x x x x x
father occupation fatheroccup x x x x x x x x x
mother education mothereduc x x x x x x x
mother occupation motheroccup x x x x x x
childhood health poorchealth x x x x x x
poor child SES poorcecon x x x x x
other conditions x x x x x x x x x
Adult SES education education x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
yeduca x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
HH inc ome income x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
wealth wealth_index x x x x x x x x x x
Adult Lifestyle smoking smoking1 x xxxxxxxxxx x x x x
drinking drinking1 x x x x x x x x x x x x
exercise exercise1 x x x x x x x x x x x x
health use healthuse x x x x x x x x x x x x
diet x x x x x x x
Health Outcomes self-reported health health x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
heart heart x x x x x x x x x x x x x
diabetes diabetes x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
obesity obesity x x x x x x x x x x x x x
A DLs (Katz) NadlGT0 x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Nagi items NadlGT0_alt x x x x x x x x x x x x x
I A DLs NiadlGT0 x x x x x x x x x x x
performance measures x x x x x x x x x x
other chronic conditions x x x x x x x x x x x x x
biomarkers x x x x x
mortality deadFIN x x x x x x x x x x x
Depression and Depr e ssio n CES-D xNO xxxxx xNO xNO x
Cognition (mood)
Cognition xNO xxxxx xNO xNO x x
Table C1: Summary of Key Variables
51
Notes: Argentina-SABE did not have values for height, weight, waist, knee/leg or obesity.
Taiwan did not have a continuous income variable, but does use an SES ladder variable. The same ladder variable was
used to evaluate wealth.
England used an SES ladder variable to determine wealth.
Indonesian health outcomes for heart conditions are from the 2007 survey (rather than the 2000 survey).
Regarding other life course factors, in addition to information about early life conditions all of the named surveys
contain comprehensive information that reflect conditions in adulthood (e.g. migration, adult occupation, medicines
taken, health care utilization, transfers, housing as an adult and/or property owned). Check the country-specific
questionnaires for more information for a particular survey.
Other major chronic conditions are listed in Table C16 below.
Note that while the above table identifies depression and cognition availability across surveys, variables for these
dimensions are not yet included in the cross national data set.
Mother occupation was available in some surveys (e.g. SAGE, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Netherlands, ELSA, and
Bangladesh) but in instances such as Puerto Rico information was largely missing. A constructed variable was created
with information from selected countries such as SAGE and Indonesia only (motheroccup). Occupational codes for
mother will need to be reviewed in surveys from Bangladesh, Netherlands and ELSA.
52
DEMOGRAPHICS
Residence. The harmonized measure residence indicates if the respondent’s residence was urban or rural at the time of
the survey. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C2: Original variable, question, original variable scale and corresponding residence scale
Country
Variable
Question
Scale
Residence
Bangladesh-MHSS
a
n/a, all rural respondents
China-CHNS
t2
Urban Site.
1-urban site
2-rural site
0-urban
1-rural
China-CLHLS
residenc
Current residence area of interviewee.
1-city
2-town
3-rural
0-urban
0-urban
1-rural
Costa Rica
URBAN
Living in urban or rural area now.
1-yes
0-no
0-urban
1-rural
Indonesia
sc05
Area:
1-urban
2-rural
0-urban
1-rural
SABE
a
n/a, all urban respondents
Mexico-MHAS
murb
Community of residence has 100,000 people or more.
0-less
urbanized
regions
1-more
urbanized
regions
1-rural
0-urban
SAGE
q0104
Setting: An urban area that has been legally proclaimed as being urban.
Such areas include towns, cities and metropolitan areas.
All other areas that are not classified as being urban. This includes
commercial farms, small settlements, rural villages and other areas which
are further away from towns and cities.
1-urban
2-rural
0-urban
1-rural
Taiwan
rural
2000 Residence: Urban or Rural township.
0-urban
1-rural
0-urban
1-rural
Notes:
a Bangladesh and SABE are not based on any variable, but are set to either all urban (SABE) or all rural (Bangladesh).
53
EARLY LIFE CONDITIONS
RuralFIN. The harmonized measure ruralFIN indicates if a person spent their childhood in a rural area (1=yes, 0=no).
Table C3 describes the questions used to ascertain if the respondent had spent a significant amount of time in a rural area
as a child. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C3: Original variables and questions used to construct childhood birthplace
Country
Variable
Questions
Bangladesh-MHSS
mg02
mg04
Is [your birthplace] a…1-village, 2-small town, 5-big city, don’t know
Is the place [where you lived when you were 12 years old] a… 1-village, 2-small town, 5-big city,
don’t know
China-CHNS
t2
Urban site
China-CLHLS
a41
a43
In which province were you born?
Was the place of birth an urban area or rural area (at time of birth)?
Costa Rica-CRELES
pc
Province and canton of birth.
England-ELSA
Indonesia-IFLS
mg04a
mg08
When you were 12 years old did you live in the same place as the place where you were born?
When you were 12, was the place a: 1-village, 3-small town, 5-big city, 8-don’t know
Latin American
cities-SABE
a02
a04b
Were you born in […]?
During the first 15 years of your life, did you live in a rural area for 5 years or more?
Mexico-MHAS
murb
a21
Community of residence has 100,000 people or more
About how many years have you lived in this community or have you always lived here
Netherlands-SHARE
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
o1
o2
Where did you live during most of your life before turning 18 years old?
Would you say that before turning 18 years old you lived mostly in the countryside, in the city, in
the suburbs or in another place?
SAGE
q1024
q1020
q0104
Where did you live for most of your childhood (age 9 or younger)?
Have you always lived in this village/town/city?
Setting (circle one) An urban area that has been legally proclaimed as being urban.
Such areas include towns, cities and metropolitan areas. All other areas that are not classified as
being urban. This includes commercial farms, small settlements, rural villages and other areas
which are further away from towns and cities.
Taiwan-SEBAS
US-HRS
G1125
Were you living in a rural area most of the time when you were [in grade school/in high
school/about age 10]?
US-WLS
rlur5
1957 rural-urban residence of respondent
54
Note: In most cases, the variable ruralFIN was defined only for those people born in the country interviewed. The exception was China-CHNS
where there was not a variable indicating if respondents were born in the country. In the case of Taiwan and the Netherlands, it was not possible to
discern if they had lived rural or urban areas as a child, although additional survey data from the Netherlands (SHARE) may provide this
information.
Father education. Father education defines the level of education the respondent’s father achieved. Variables that
defined fathereduc were constructed based on different scales for some countries. Country-specific father education
variables were created for those countries where scales differed. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail
regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C4: Original variables and questions or scales with corresponding father education scale
Country
Variable
Question or scale
fathereduc
Bangladesh-MHSS a
ed03
ed06
ed08a
What was your highest class COMPLETED?
1-no school
2-primary
3-secondary
4-secondary+
Indonesia-IFLS
ba07ap (only used to
define no school)
ba08p
ba07ap=3 (No)
02-elementary
70-Madrasah
72-Islamic elementary school (Madrasah Ibtidaiyah)
90-kindergarten
04-junior high - vocational
05-senior high - general
06-senior high - vocational
11-adult education a
12-adult education b
13-open university
14-Islamic school (Pesantren)
60-college, D1, D2, D3
61-university (Bachelor)
62-university (Master)
63-university (PhD)
73-Islamic junior/high school (Madrasah Tsanawiyah)
74-Madrasah Aliyah
1-no school
2-primary
2-primary
2-primary
2-primary
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
55
Country
Variable
Question or scale
fathereduc
Mexico-MHAS
f8
1-none
2-some elementary
3-completed elementary
4-more than elementary
1-none
2-primary
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
h3a
0-he did not go to school
1-he went to school but he did not complete eighth
grade
2-he went to school and he completed eighth grade or
higher
1-noschool
2-primary
3-secondary and plus
SAGE
q1032
0-no formal education
1-less than primary school
2-primary school completed
3-secondary school completed
4-high school (or equivalent) completed
5-college/pre-university/university completed
6-post graduate degree completed
1-no school
2-primary
2-primary
3-secondary
3-secondary
4-more than secondary
4-more than secondary
US-HRSb
V213, F1000, G1087
0-no formal education
1-8-grades
9-11-grades
12-high school
13-15-some college
16-college grad
17-post college (17+ years)
1-no school
2-primary
3-secondary
4-secondary+
US-WLS
edfa57q
7-did not attend high school
10-attended high school
12-graduated from high school
13-attended trade or business school
14-attended college
16-graduated from college
18-has masters or PhD
2-primary
3-secondary
3- secondary
3- secondary
4- secondary +
4- secondary +
4- secondary +
Notes: In some surveys (Indonesia, Puerto Rico, MHAS) secondary and secondary plus were combined into one category. In the case of
Indonesia, the small number of cases beyond secondary justified this classification. In the case of Puerto Rico and MHAS the original question was
not specific to identify education greater than a secondary level.
a For Bangladesh, there were multiple variables used to deduce father education. Which question was asked of the respondent or directly of the
respondent’s father depended on where his/her father was currently living (with the respondent or not) and whether the respondent’s father was
56
currently alive or deceased. The categories of father education were based primarily on variable ed08a which asked, “What was your highest class
attended?” However, also used were ed03 (“Have you ever attended/are you attending school?”), ed06 (“If you ever attended school, what was the
type of school last attended?”), as well as lh03 (position in household) and paro2f (“Did father live in the household”).
b US-HRS combined three waves (1996, 1998, 2000) for parental education.
Father occupation. Father occupation defines the occupation of the respondent’s father when the respondent was a
child. Variables that defined fatheroccup were constructed based on different scales for some countries. Country-specific
father occupation variables were created for those countries where scales differed. Refer to the country-specific
appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C5: Original variables and questions or scales with corresponding father occupation scale
Country
Variable
Question or scale
fatheroccup
China-CLHLS
f84
0-professional or technical personnel
1-governmental, institutional or managerial personnel
2-staff/service worker/industrial worker
4-agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery
5-housework
6-military personnel
7-unemployed
8-other, please specify
3-professional
3-professional
2-urban service worker
1-agricultural worker
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
England-ELSA
difjob
01-armed forces
02-manager or senior official in someone else’s business
03-running his own business
04-professional or technical
05-administrative, clerical or secretarial
06-skilled trade
07-caring, leisure, travel or personal services
08-sales or customer service
09-plant, process or machine drivers or operators
10-other jobs
11-something else
12-casual jobs
13-retired
14-unemployed
15-sick/disabled
4-all other
3-professional
3-professional
3-professional
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
57
Country
Variable
Question or scale
fatheroccup
Indonesia-IFLS
ba13p
01-professional or technical worker
02-managerial, administrative, decision making staff
03-clerical personnel and the like
04-sales personnel
05-service personnel
06-farm, forestry, game hunting, fishery worker
07-production line worker
08-transportation vehicle operator
09-blue collar worker
10-other, specify
3-professional
3-professional
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
1-agricultural worker
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
4-all other
Netherlands-SHARE
isco_fa
1-managers
2-professionals
3-technicians and associate professionals
4-clerical support workers
5-service and sales workers
6-skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers
7-craft and related trades workers
8-plant and machine operators, and assemblers
9-elementary occupations
0-armed forces occupations
0006-housewife / houseman
0007-welfare support / pension / etc.
1-manager
2-professional
3-technicians
4-clerical
5-service/sales
6-skilled agr/forestry/fish
7-craft/trade
8-plant/machine operators
9-elementary occupations
10-armed forces
11-other
11-other
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
rcode_h4
1-management occupations
2-professional and related
3-services and sales
4-office and administrative support occupation
5-farming, fishing and forestry
6-construction, extraction and
7-production, transportation and material
99-not specified
3-professional
3-professional
2-service worker, construction, maintenance
2-service worker, construction, maintenance
1-mostly agricultural worker
2-service worker, construction, maintenance
2-service worker, construction, maintenance
4-all other
SAGE
q1029 (Was your father
ever employed?)
q1030 (What was your
father’s main
employer?)
q1029 a
2-no
q1030
1-public sector (government)
2-private sector (for profit or not for profit)
3-self-employed
5-never employed
1-public sector
2-private sector
3-self-employed
58
Country
Variable
Question or scale
fatheroccup
4-informal employment
4-informal employment
US-HRS
b
E5654M (1996)
F997HM (1998)
G1084M (2000) c
1-managerial specialty operation
2-professional specialty operation and technical support
3-sales
4-clerical, administrative support
5-service: private household, cleaning and building services
6-service: protection
7-service: food preparation
8-health services
9-personal services
10-farming, forestry, fishing
11-mechanics and repair
12-construction trade and extractors
13-precision production
14-operators: machine
15-operators: transport, etc.
16-operators: handlers, etc.
17-member of Armed Forces
3-professional
3-professional
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
2-urban service worker
1-agricultural worker
1-agricultural worker
1-agricultural worker
1-agricultural worker
1-agricultural worker
1-agricultural worker
1-agricultural worker
4-all other
US-WLS
ocf57
1-unskilled or not ascertained
2-farming
3-skilled
4-white collar
5-professional or executive
2-urban service worker
1-agricultural worker
2-urban service worker
3-professional
3-professional
Notes:
a SAGE used variable q1029 to define the “never employed” category, but q1030 for all other categories.
b US-HRS combined three waves (1996, 1998, 2000) for father’s occupation.
c The variables for HRS 2000 all begin with the letter “G,” earlier years start with different letters. For example, “E” was used for 1996 and “F” for
1998. Variables from previous years do not appear in the table, though data may have been used to gather responses.
Mother education. Mother education defines the level of education the respondent’s mother achieved. It was split into
different country-specific variables where scales differed. Country-specific motheroccup variables were created for those
countries where scales differed (SAGE, Indonesia). Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the
original variables for mother occupation.
59
Table C6: Original variables and questions or scales with corresponding mother education scale
Country
Variable
Question or scale
mothereduc
Bangladesh-MHSS
a
ed03
ed06
ed08a
lh03
par02m
What was your highest class COMPLETED?
1-no school
2-primary
3-secondary
4-secondary+
Costa Rica-CRELES
a18
1-none
2-elementary
3-secondary
4-higher education
1-no school
2-primary
3-secondary
4-secondary+
Indonesia-IFLS
ba07am (only used to
define no school)
ba08m
ba07am=3 (No)
02-elementary
70-Madrasah
72-Islamic elementary school (Madrasah Ibtidaiyah)
90-kindergarten
04-junior high - vocational
05-senior high - general
06-senior high - vocational
11-adult education a
12-adult education b
13-open university
14-Islamic school (Pesantren)
60-college, D1, D2, D3
61-university (Bachelor)
62-university (Master)
63-university (PhD)
73-Islamic junior/high school (Madrasah Tsanawiyah)
74-Madrasah Aliyah
1-no school
2-primary
2-primary
2-primary
2-primary
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
3-secondary and plus
Mexico-MHAS
f1
1-none
2-some elementary
3-completed elementary
4-more than elementary
1-none
2-primary
2-primary
3-secondary and plus
60
Country
Variable
Question or scale
mothereduc
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
h6c
0-she did not go to school
1-she went to school but she did not complete eighth grade
2-she went to school and she completed eighth grade or higher
1-no school
2-primary
3-secondary
SAGE
q1028
0-no formal education
1-less than primary school
2-primary school completed
3-secondary school completed
4-high school (or equivalent) completed
5-college/pre-university/university completed
6-post graduate degree completed
1-no school
2-primary
2-primary
3-secondary
3-secondary
4-secondary+
4-secondary+
US-HRS b
V212 (1992)
F1001 (1998)
G1088 (2000) c
0-no formal education
1-8-grades
9-11-grades
12-high school
13-15-some college
16-college grad
17-post college (17+ years)
1-no school
2-primary
3-secondary
3-secondary
4-secondary+
4-secondary+
4-secondary+
US-WLS
edmo57q
7-did not attend high school
10-attended high school
12-graduated from high school
13-attended trade or business school
14-attended college
16-graudated from college
18-has masters or PhD
2-primary
3-secondary
3- secondary
3- secondary
4- secondary +
4- secondary +
4- secondary +
Notes: In some surveys (Indonesia, Puerto Rico, MHAS) secondary and secondary plus were combined into one category. In the case of
Indonesia, the small number of cases beyond secondary justified this classification. In the case of Puerto Rico and MHAS the original question was
not specific to identify education greater than a secondary level.
a For Bangladesh, the categories of mother education were based primarily off of variable ed08a which asked, “What was your highest class
attended. However, also used were ed03 (Have you ever attended/are you attending school?), ed06 (If you ever attended school, what was the type
of school last attended?), as well as lh03 (position in household) and paro2m (did mother live in the household).
b US-HRS combined three waves (1996, 1998, 2000) for mother’s education.
c The variables for HRS 2000 all begin with the letter “G,” earlier years start with different letters. For example, “E” was used for 1996 and “F” for
1998. Variables from previous years do not appear in the table, though data may have been used to gather responses.
61
Poor childhood health. The variable poorchealth is based on retrospective questions asked of respondents regarding
their childhood. Table C7 shows how the variable was defined across countries. Refer to the country-specific appendices
for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C7: Original variables, questions, scale and corresponding poor childhood health scale a
Country
Variable
Question
Scale
poorchealth
Costa Rica-CRELES
in2
How was your health for the majority of your childhood and
adolescence?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-poor
0-no
0-no
0-no
1-yes
Latin American
cities-SABE
c27
During the majority of the first 15 years of your life, would you
say that your health was excellent, good, or poor?
1-excellent
2-good
3-poor
0-no
0-no
1-yes
Mexico-MHAS
a8
Before you were age ten, did you have a serious health
problem that affected your normal activities for a month or
more?
1-yes
2-no
1- yes
0 -no
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
h14
How would you describe your health as a child or adolescent?
Would you say your health as a child or adolescent was
excellent, very good, good, average, or bad?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-average
5-bad
0-no
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
US-HRS
E5648 (1996)
F992 (1998)
G1079 (2000) b
Consider your health while you were growing up, from birth to
age 16. Would you say that your health during that time was
excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
0-no
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
US-WLS
ixc01rer
How would you rate your health as a child?
1 - poor
2 - fair
3 - good
4 - very good
5 - excellent
1-yes
1-yes
0-no
0-no
0-no
Notes:
a There were additional questions asked about childhood health in several of the surveys. For example, questions were asked regarding whether or
not the respondent went to bed hungry as a child (China-CLHLS, SABE), had serious health problems as a child (Mexico-MHAS, US-WLS), missed
school due to illness (Puerto Rico, US-WLS), missed common childhood activities due to illness (Puerto Rico, US-WLS), was confined to bed for
periods of time due to illness (US-WLS), had water as a child (China-CLHLS), had adequate medical services as a child (China-CLHLS), wore shoes
62
regularly (Costa Rica), was confined to bed for an illness for extended periods of time (SABE), experienced a serious blow to the head (Mexico-
MHAS), experienced abuse in the home as a child (US-WLS), had encouragement and protection as a child (US-WLS), had their tonsils and/or
adenoids removed in childhood (US-WLS) and the respondent’s mother lived or worked in the United States (Mexico-MHAS). Questions regarding
specific childhood illnesses that the respondent experienced were also asked in several surveys. This included tuberculosis (Costa Rica, Mexico-
MHAS, SABE, Puerto Rico), asthma (Costa Rica, SABE, Puerto Rico, US-WLS), rheumatic fever (Costa Rica, Mexico-MHAS, SABE, Puerto Rico),
chronic bronchitis (Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, US-WLS), poliomyelitis (Costa Rica, Mexico-MHAS, Puerto Rico, US-WLS), malaria (Costa Rica,
Puerto Rico), typhoid fever (Mexico-MHAS), nephritis (SABE), hepatitis (SABE, Puerto Rico, US-WLS), measles (SABE, Puerto Rico), typhus fever
(Puerto Rico), dengue fever (Puerto Rico), chicken pox (Puerto Rico), mumps (Puerto Rico), small pox (Puerto Rico), pneumonia (Puerto Rico, US-
WLS), ear infections (US-WLS), pertussis (US-WLS), diphtheria (US-WLS), meningitis (US-WLS), infection mononucleosis (US-WLS). More
detailed information, including the specific questions and question asked can be found in the country-specific appendices. Additional information
for some countries is only available in their questionnaire (e.g. Netherlands).
b The variables for HRS 2000 all begin with the letter “G,” earlier years start with different letters. For example, “E” was used for 1996 and “F” for
1998. Variables from previous years do not appear in the table, though data may have been used to gather responses.
Poor childhood socioeconomic status. The variable poorcecon is based on retrospective questions asked of
respondents regarding their childhood. Table C8 shows how the variable was defined across countries. For most
countries, poorcecon was based on variables asking what the respondent’s socioeconomic status was as a child. South
Africa and MHAS were two exceptions. South Africa based poor childhood SES on the father’s level of education (variable
q1032). Mexico-MHAS based poor childhood SES on owning a toilet (variable a7). Refer to the country-specific
appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C8: Original variables, questions, scale and corresponding poor childhood SES scale
Country
Variable
Question
Scale
poorcecon
Costa Rica-CRELES
in1
During the first 15 years of your life, did your family have problems
or economic hardships that did not allow you to eat regularly, dress
adequately or get necessary medical care?
1-yes
2-no
1-yes
0-no
Latin American
cities-SABE
c26
During the majority of the first 15 years of your life, what was the
economic situation of your family? (Read all the options until you
get an affirmative answer.)
1-good
2-average
3-poor
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
Mexico-MHAS
a7
Before you were age ten, did your house have a toilet?
1-yes
2-no
0-no
1-yes
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
h1
In general, would you say that the economic conditions in the
household in which you grew up were good, average or bad?
1-good
2-average
3-bad
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
US-HRS
E5655 (1996)
F993 (1998)
Now think about your family when you were growing up, from birth
to age 16. Would you say your family during that time was pretty
1-pretty well
off financially
0-no
63
G1080 (2000) b
well of financially, about average, or poor?
3-about
average
5-poor
0-no
1-yes
Notes:
a There were additional questions asked about childhood SES in several of the surveys. Questions were asked regarding whether or not the
respondent had a toilet in their childhood home (Costa Rica, Mexico-MHAS), lived with their grandparents as a child (Mexico-MHAS, US-HRS),
had electricity in their childhood home (Costa Rica), lived with their biological father as a child (Costa Rica), has a family history of diabetes
(Taiwan, Puerto Rico, US-WLS), has a family history of heart disease (Taiwan), has currently living parents (Mexico-MHAS, SABE, Netherlands,
Puerto Rico), experienced economic hardship that prevented them from eating regularly, adequately clothing themselves, or receiving necessary
medical attention (Puerto Rico), experienced periods of time of father’s unemployment in childhood (Puerto Rico, US-WLS), experienced periods
of time of mother’s unemployment in childhood (Puerto Rico), had to leave school or work to help their parents (Puerto Rico), experienced
financial difficulties that required them to move (US-HRS), and received financial help from relatives (US-HRS). Other questions included where
the respondent slept as a child (Costa Rica), the age of death of the respondent’s mother and father (Mexico-MHAS, SABE, Netherlands,
Bangladesh, Puerto Rico), the age of the respondent’s mother and father, if currently living (Mexico-MHAS), whether or not the respondent’s
father worked or lived in the United States when the respondent was a child (Mexico-MHAS), whether or not the respondent’s mother or father
could read or write (Puerto Rico), whether or not the respondent’s parents divorced in childhood (Puerto Rico), where the respondent lived in
childhood and whether or not that area was rural (US-HRS). More detailed information, including the specific questions and question asked can be
found in the country-specific appendices. Additional information for some countries is only available in their questionnaire.
b The variables for HRS 2000 all begin with the letter “G,” earlier years start with different letters. For example, “E” was used for 1996 and “F” for
1998. Variables from previous years do not appear in the table, though data may have been used to gather responses.
ADULT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
Education. Education was defined as level of education completed if available and grouped into four categories using the
UN international standard classification of education (2011): no schooling (0 years), primary-elementary (1-6 years),
secondary or intermediate (7-12 years), and higher (more than 12 years). For most countries, no school was defined as
zero years of formal education. Primary-elementary was defined as completing any level of education through the sixth
grade (fifth grade for Bangladesh). Secondary or intermediate was defined as completing any level of education from
seventh through twelfth grade. Higher was defined as completing anything higher than twelfth grade.
US-WLS, Indonesia and ELSA had different definitions for education than the categories listed above. Table C9 lists the
different definitions of education, and what categories of education they were included into. Refer to the country-specific
appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
64
Table C9: Original variables scales with corresponding adult education scale
Country
Variable a
Scale
education
Bangladesh-MHSS
China-CLHLS
China-CHNS
Costa Rica-CRELES
SABE
Mexico-MHAS
Netherlands-SHARE
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
SAGE
Taiwan-SEBAS
US-HRS
ed03, ed06, ed08a
f1
a11
a2a, a2b
yeduca
a3_3
edu, iscedy_r
c10r1
q1015, q1016, q1017
educ00
G1074A
no school
1st-6th grade (1st-5th for Bangladesh)
7th-12th grade
>12th grade
1-no school
2-elementary-primary
3-secondary or intermediate
4-higher
England- ELSA
edqual
no qualification
NVQ1/CSE other grade equivalent
NVQ2/GCE other level equivalent
NVQ4/NVQ5 degree or equivalent
higher education below degree
NVQ3/GCE a level equivalent
1-no school
2-elementary-primary
3-secondary or intermediate
4-higher
4-higher
Indonesia-IFLS
dl04, dl06, dl07
no school
elementary
kindergarten
Madrasah, general
Islamic elementary school (Madrasah Ibitdaiyah)
adult education a
adult education b
junior high general
junior high vocational
senior high general
senior high vocational
Islamic school (Pesantren)
Islamic junior/high school (Madrasah Tsanawiyah)
Madrasah senior high school
college (d1, d2, d3)
university (bachelor)
1-no school
2-elementary-primary
2-elementary-primary
2-elementary-primary
2-elementary-primary
2-elementary-primary
2-elementary-primary
3-secondary or intermediate
3-secondary or intermediate
3-secondary or intermediate
3-secondary or intermediate
3-secondary or intermediate
3-secondary or intermediate
3-secondary or intermediate
4-higher
4-higher
65
Country
Variable a
Scale
education
university (master)
university (doctorate)
open university
4-higher
4-higher
4-higher
US-WLS
gb103red, gb104red,
gb005rec
high school degree
some type of college degree
3-secondary or intermediate
4-higher
Notes:
a Variables correspond to countries on the same row.
Household income and wealth. Components used to construct household income (income) and wealth
(wealth_index, wetlth_assets) are listed below. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the
original variables listed in the table.
Table C10: Components of Household Income and Wealth
Country
Components of HH Income
Components of Wealth
Bangladesh-MHSS
Agricultural Income
Yearly income from Livestock
Yearly other farm income
Assets of the farm business sold during the last year
Assets of the non farm business sold, rented or
revenue during the last year
Agricultural employment,
Non agricultural employment, transfers received
water source, location of toilet, electricity inside of home,
ornaments, savings in bank, radio, clock, furniture
China-CHNS
Per Capita HH income 2000
color TV, washing machine, refrigerator, telephone, cooking
fuel, toilet location, water source
China-CLHLS
Yearly per capita HH income
Costa Rica-CRELES
HH head income and spouse income
(h20, h24)
condition of the house, room for cooking, cooking fuel,
potable water inside, toilet inside house, television,
telephone, washing machine, car
England-ELSA
Yearly per capita total benefit unit income
Indonesia-IFLS
Total labor income
Water, toilet, food in refrigerator, cooking, television (kr13,
kr20, kr23, kr24, kr24a)
SABE a
pension
familia en otro pais
familia en el pais
Kitchen, gas or electricity, pipe water, toilet inside the house,
refrigerator, television, telephone, washing machine, vehicle
66
Country
Components of HH Income
Components of Wealth
alguiler de propiedades o cuartos, bancos
subsidio de bienestar familiar
otro ingreso
Mexico-MHAS
yearly per capita income
gas or electricity, piped water, toilet inside the house,
refrigerator, television, telephone, washing machine
Netherlands-SHARE
yearly gross per capita imputed household income
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
Su trabajo
seguro social
jubilacion o pension
family in us income
family in puerto rico income
alguiler de propiedades o cuartos
subsidio de bienestar familiar
programa de asistencia
otro ingreso
Piped water, toilet inside the house, air conditioner,
electricity/gas for cooking, telephone, washing machine,
dryer, hot water heater,
SAGE
Total HH income
Piped water, toilet inside house, refrigerator, electricity/gas
for cooking, telephone, washing machine, cooking stove,
television
Taiwan-SEBAS
Based on SESladder
US-HRS
yearly gross per capita imputed household income
US-WLS
yearly per capita household income
Notes:
a Several variables were used to compute income from the SABE surveys. These can be found in section H of the questionnaire.
67
ADULT RISK FACTORS AND LIFESTYLE
Smoking. Variables used to construct the variable smoke (1=yes, 0=no) are based on country-specific questions
regarding tobacco smoking in whatever form. In some cases different tobacco products were used. In some cases the
question was general and did not specifically indicate the type of smoking. Table C11 lists what smoking methods were
included in defining smoking variables by country. “General smoke question” indicates no specified smoking method
mentioned. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C11: Original variables and questions used to construct adult smoking
Country
Variables
Which tobacco products used
Bangladesh-MHSS
spn01b, spn02b, spn01c, spn02c, spn01d, spn02d
hookah, biri, cigarettes/cigars
China-CHNS
u25, u27
cigarettes (including hand-rolled or device-rolled)
China-CLHLS
d71, d72
general smoke question
Costa Rica-CRELES
ev8, ev10
cigarettes
England-ELSA
smkevr, hesmk, heska, heskaW2
cigarettes
Indonesia-IFLS
km01a, km02, km04
chewing tobacco, smoking self-rolled cigarettes, or
smoking cigarettes/cigars
Latin American cities-
SABE
c24
general smoke question
Mexico-MHAS
c54, c55
cigarettes
Netherlands-SHARE
br001_, br002_
cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or a pipe
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
g161, g162
cigarettes
SAGE
q3001, q3002
cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco or snuff
Taiwan-SEBAS
smk
cigarettes
US-HRS a
V298, V501, W452, D942, E942, F1266, G1400
cigarettes
US-WLS
ixt01rer, ix012rer, ixt07rer
cigarettes
Notes:
a The smoke variable for HRS was obtained by reviewing the original wave in which the question was asked.
Actual question text for original variable and (variable name):
Bangladesh: Have you had the habit of smoking a hookah? (spn01b), Do you still have the habit of smoking hookah? (spn02b),
Have you had the habit of smoking biri? (spn01c), Do you still have the habit of smoking biri? (spn02c), Have you had the habit of
smoking cigarettes/cigars? (spn01d), Do you still have the habit of smoking cigarettes? (spn02d).
68
China-CHNS: Have you ever smoked cigarettes (including hand-rolled or device-rolled)? (u25), Do you still smoke cigarettes now?
(u27).
China-CLHLS: Do you smoke at the present time? (d71), Did you smoke in the past? (d72).
Costa Rica-CRELES: Have you smoked more than 100 cigarettes or cigars in your life? (ev8), Do you smoke now? (ev10).
England-ELSA: Have you ever smoke cigarettes, pipe, or cigar? (smkevr), Have you ever smoked cigarettes? (hesmk), [Do
you/Does name] smoke cigarettes at all nowadays? (heska, heskaW2).
Indonesia-IFLS: Have you had the habit of chewing tobacco, smoking self-rolled cigarettes, or smoking cigarettes/cigars? (km01a),
Interviewer’s Note: Is km01d or km01e=1 (km02),Do you still have the habit or have you totally quit? (km04).
SABE: You… smoke at the present time? smoked before, but do not now? have never smoked? (c24).
Mexico-MHAS: Have you ever smoked cigarettes? Include more than 100 cigarettes or five packs in your lifetime. Do not include
pipes or cigars. (c54), Do you smoke cigarettes now? (c55).
Netherlands-SHARE: The following questions are about smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. Have you ever smoked
cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or a pipe daily for a period of at least one year? (br001_), Do you smoke at the present time? (br002_).
Puerto Rico-PREHCO: Have you smoked one hundred cigarettes or more in your life? (g161), Do you currently smoke? (g162).
SAGE: Have you ever smoked tobacco or used smokeless tobacco? (q3001), Do you currently use (smoke, sniff or chew) any tobacco
products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco or snuff? (q3002).
Taiwan-SEBAS: Past 6 months, did you smoke? (smk).
US-HRS: Do you smoke cigarettes now? (G1400).
US-WLS: Have you ever smoked a pipe or cigars, or used snuff or chewing tobacco regularly in your entire life? (ixt01rer), Up until
you were 16 years old, did anyone in your household, other than yourself, smoke? (ixt012rer), How often do you smoke now?
(ixt07rer).
69
Drinking. The questions for variables used to construct drink (1=yes, 0=no) varied in how they asked about alcohol
consumption. Table C12 lists the original variables and corresponding questions asked from country-specific surveys that
were used to define drinking. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables
listed in the table.
Table C12: Original variables and questions used to construct adult drinking
Country
Variable
Question
China-CHNS
u40
During the past year, have you drunk beer or any other alcohol beverage?
China-CLHLS
d81
d82
Do you drink alcohol at the present time?
Did you drink alcohol in the past?
Costa Rica-CRELES
ev1
Have you ever drank alcoholic drinks on a regular basis?
England-ELSA
scako
Thinking now about all kinds of drink, how often have you had an alcoholic drink of any kind
in the last 12 months?
Latin American cities-
SABE
c23
In the last three months, on average, how many days per week have you had any alcohol to
drink (for example, beer, wine, or another drink containing alcohol)?
Mexico-MHAS
c60
Do you ever drink any alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, liquor, or pulque?
Netherlands-SHARE
br010_
I am now going to ask you a few questions about what you drink-that is if you drink. Please
look at card 11. During the last six months, how often have you drunk any alcoholic beverages,
like beer, cider, wine, spirits or cocktails?
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
g155
In the last 3 months, on average, how many days a week have you consumed alcoholic
beverages (like for example beer, wine, rum or another drink that has alcohol)?
SAGE
q3007
q3008
Have you ever consumed a drink that contains alcohol (such as beer, wine, spirits, etc.)?
Have you consumed alcohol in the last 30 days?
Taiwan-SEBAS
alc
Past 6 months, did you drink alcohol?
US-HRS
G1415
Do you ever drink any alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, or liquor?
US-WLS
ixab01re
Do you ever drink alcoholic beverages?
70
Exercise. The questions for variables used to construct exercise (1=yes, 0=no) varied in how they asked about exercise.
Table C13 lists the original variables and corresponding questions asked from country-specific surveys that were used to
define exercise. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C13: Original variables and questions used to construct adult exercise
Country
Variable
Question
China-CHNS
u142
Do you spend time on heavy or very heavy physical activities during the work day in a week (e.g.
farmer, athlete, dancer, steel worker, lumber worker, mason, etc.)?
China-CLHLS
d91
d92
Do you do exercises regularly at present?
Did you do exercises regularly in the past?
Costa Rica-CRELES
ev14
In the last 12 months, did you exercise regularly or do other physically rigorous activities like
sports, jogging, dancing, or heavy work, three times a week?
England-ELSA
heacta
[Show card S.] We would like to know the type and amount of physical activity involved in your
daily life. Do you take part in sports or activities that are vigorous…[Interviewer: Read out…]
Latin American cities-
SABE
c25a
In the past twelve months, have you exercised regularly or participated in vigorous physical
activity such as playing a sport, dancing or heavy housework, 3 or more times a week?
Mexico-MHAS
c53
On average during the last two years, have you exercised or done hard physical work three or
more times a week? Includes various activities such as sports, heavy household chores, or other
physical work.
Netherlands-SHARE
br015_
We would like to know about the type and amount of physical activity you do in your daily life.
How often do you engage in vigorous physical activity, such as sports, heavy housework, or a job
that involves physical labour? Interviewer: read out.
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
g167
In the last year, have you engaged in any of the following activities: sports, jogging, walking,
dancing or heavy labor, three or more times a week?
SAGE
q3016
q3025
Does your work involve vigorous-intensity activity that causes large increases in breathing or
heart rate, [like heavy lifting, digging or chopping wood] for at least 10 minutes continuously?
Do you do any vigorous intensity sports, fitness or recreational (leisure) activities that cause
large increase in breathing or heart rate [like running or football], for at least 10 minutes
continuously?
Taiwan-SEBAS
b8
Do you usually exercise? [If yes, continue.] On average, how many times do you exercise each
week?
US-HRS
G1395
On average over the last 12 months have you participated in vigorous physical activity or
exercise three times a week or more? By vigorous physical activity, we mean things like sports,
heavy housework, or a job that involves physical labor.
US-WLS
ixe02rer
How many hours per month do you participate in vigorous physical activities, either alone or
with others?
71
Health use. Use of preventive health services was measured in most cases by a question which asked if the respondent
had seen a medical professional within the last year. Table C14 below describes the questions used to define healthuse
(1=yes, 0=no). Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C14: Original variables and questions used to construct adult utilization of health services in the
last year
Country
Question
Scale
Health Use
(1=yes, 0=no)
Bangladesh-MHSS
Within last one year have you ever been to the:
district hospital/visited by the district hospital?
thana health complex/visited by the thana health complex?
ICDDRB hospital/visited by the ICDDRB hospital?
ICDDRB sub center/visited by the ICDDRB sub center?
health worker/visited by the health worker?
ICDDRB health worker/visited by the ICDDRB health worker?
private clinic/visited by the private clinic?
doctors (MBBS)/visited by the doctors (MBBS)?
village doctor/visited by the village doctor?
midwife/tba/visited by the midwife/tba?
traditional practitioner (Kabiraj, Fakir, Hakimi, Village Doctor,
etc.)/visited by the traditional practitioner (Kabiraj, Fakir,
Hakimi, Village Doctor, etc.)?
satellite clinic/visited by the satellite clinic?
pharmacy/visited by the pharmacy?
FWC/visited by the FWC?
FWA/visited by the FWA?
other, specify/visited by other, specify?
1-yes
3-no
1-yes
0-no
China-CHNS
Within the last month, did you receive any preventive health
service (for example, a health examination, eye examination,
well-child examination, blood test, blood pressure screening,
tumor screening, etc.)? If “no” or “unknown,” stop here, and go
to the next person. If “yes,” continue with the next question.
0-no
1-yes
9-unknown
1-yes
0-no
China-CLHLS
Can you get adequate medical service when you are seriously
ill?
1-yes
2-no
1-yes
0-no
Costa Rica-CRELES
When was the most recent doctor’s appointment?
1-less than one month
1-yes
72
Country
Question
Scale
Health Use
(1=yes, 0=no)
2-from one to three months
3-from four to six months
4-from seven to eleven
months
5-from one year to less than
two years
6-from two to four years
7-five or more years
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
0-no
0-no
England-ELSA
n.a.
Indonesia-IFLS
Have you had a general check up performed in the last 5 years?
1-yes
3-no
1-yes
0-no
SABE (not including
Cuba)
During the last 12 months, where did you usually go when you
felt sick or when you needed to consult someone about your
health? Circle all the answers that the respondent
spontaneously mentions.
01-I did not go, although I
needed it
02-I have not gotten sick, I
have not needed a
consultation/appointment
03-private physician’s office
04-private clinic
05-public clinic
07-emergency room in a
private health care
institution
08-private hospital
09-public hospital
10-emergency room in
public hospital
12-pharmacy
13-faith healer
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
SABE(Cuba)
a
(see note a)
1-no fue
2- no se ha enfermado
3- medico de familia
4- policlínico
5- hospital
6- sala emergencia hospital
9- consulta privada
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
73
Country
Question
Scale
Health Use
(1=yes, 0=no)
66- otro
1-yes
Mexico-MHAS
In the last year, about how many times have you visited or
consulted a doctor or medical personnel?
(number of times)
000-none
1-yes (if>0
&<=888)
0-no (if=0)
Netherlands-SHARE
Now we have some questions about your health care. Please
think about your care during the last twelve months. Since
[January/February/March/April/May/June/July/August/
September/October/November/December] [{last year}], about
how many times in total have you seen or talked to a medical
doctor about your health? Please exclude dentist visits and
hospital stays, but include emergency room or outpatient clinic
visits. (IWER: If more than 98, enter 98.)
(number from 0-98)
1-yes (if>0
&,98)
0-no (if=0)
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
How many times have you gone to the doctor’s office in the last
twelve months?
(number of times)
1-yes (if >0)
0-no (if=0)
SAGE
Over the last 12 months, did you receive any health care NOT
including an overnight stay in hospital or long-term care
facility?
1-yes
2-no
1-yes
2-no
Taiwan-SEBAS
In the past year, have you had a health examination or physical
examination?
1-yes
0-no
1-yes
0-no
US-HRS
Aside from any hospital stays, how many times have you seen
or talked to a medical doctor about your health, including
emergency room or clinic visits (since Q218-PR219 previous
wave IW month/Q219-PR219 previous wave IW year/in the
last two years)?
(number of times)
0-zero
1-yes (if >0,
<888)
0-no (if=0)
US-WLS
In the past 12 months, have you seen a doctor or health
professional in an office, clinic, or health center, not including
visits to mental health professionals?
1-yes
2-no
1-yes
0-no
Notes:
a Cuba used several variables to indicate health access over the last 12 months (f031-f0399).
74
HEALTH OUTCOMES
Self-reported health. Country-specific self-reported health questions were used to construct a variable for poor health
(poorhealth). The questions were also used to construct a composite measure of good health (goodhealth,
goodhealth1 and goodhealth2). Table C15 describes the questions used in each country for self-reported health and
then identifies how poorhealth was defined and how self-reported health was used as part of the composite measure of
good health. The composite measure of goodhealth was based on categories of BMI, functionality (bath, dress, transfer
and toilet) and self-reported health. Goodhealth1 was based on the same categories as goodhealth with the addition of
chronic conditions (heart disease and diabetes). Goodhealth2 was only based on categories of BMI and functionality.
The main text of this technical report describes in more detail the development of the good health measure. Refer to the
country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C15: Original variables and questions used to construct poor self-reported health
Country
Variable a
Question
Self-reported health
Poor
health
Good
health
Costa Rica-CRELES
England-ELSA
Netherlands-SHARE
Mexico-MHAS
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
SABE
US-HRS
US-WLS
c1
hehelf
srhealtha
c1
g1
co1
G1226
gx201re,ix001re
In general, would you say your
health is excellent, very good, good,
fair, or poor?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
0-no
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
3-all else
3-all else
3-all else
1-fair/poor
1-fair/poor
Bangladesh-MHSS
gh01
What is your current health status?
1-healthy
2-fairly healthy
3-unhealthy, sick
0-no
0-no
1-yes
3-all else
3-all else
1-fair/poor
China-CHNS
u48a
Right now, how would you describe
your health compared to that of
other people of your age?
1-excellent
2-good
3-fair
4-poor
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
3-all else
3-all else
1-fair/poor
1-fair/poor
China-CLHLS
b12
How do you rate your health at
present?
1-very good
2-good
3-so-so
4-bad
0-no
0-no
0-no
1-yes
3-all else
3-all else
3-all else
1-fair/poor
75
Country
Variable a
Question
Self-reported health
Poor
health
Good
health
5-very bad
1-yes
1-fair/poor
Indonesia-IFLS
kk01
In general, how is your health?
1-very healthy
2-somewhat healthy
3-somewhat unhealthy
4-unhealthy
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
3-all else
3-all else
1-fair/poor
1-fair/poor
SAGE
q2000
In general, how would you rate your
health today?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don't know
0-no
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
3-all else
3-all else
3-all else
1-fair/poor
1-fair/poor
Taiwan-SEBAS
b1
Regarding your current state of
health, do you feel it is excellent,
good, average, not so good, or poor?
1-excellent
2-good
3-average
4-not so good
5-poor
0-no
0-no
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
3-all else
3-all else
3-all else
1-fair/poor
1-fair/poor
Notes:
a Variables correspond to countries on the same row.
Chronic conditions. For most countries, variables defining chronic conditions were based on questions referring to a
medical professional’s diagnosis. Bangladesh and England are two exceptions. Bangladesh did not ask if a medical
professional’s diagnosis was given. England asks about a medical professional’s diagnosis, but also sets chronic conditions
variables to system missing if the respondent disputed having the chronic condition. The questions for Bangladesh and
England chronic conditions are listed below in Table C16. The table also provides information regarding the constructed
variable Nchronic which is a country-specific variable which indicates the number of chronic conditions reported by the
respondent. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the original variables listed in the table.
Table C16: Original variables and questions used to construct adult chronic conditions
Country
Question
b
Nchronic
Bangladesh-MHSS
Have you ever suffered from […] during the past 1 year?
pulmonary, diabetes, arthritis
China-CHNS
Has the doctor ever told you that you suffer from […]?
China-CLHLS
Are you suffering from […]? Diagnosed by hospital?
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
76
Country
Question b
Nchronic
diabetes, stroke
Costa Rica-CRELES
Has a physician ever told you that you have […]
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
England-ELSA
Has a doctor ever told you that you have (or have had) any of
the conditions on this card?
Code reason why respondent disputes having had chronic
condition.
arthritis, cancer , pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
Indonesia-IFLS a
Did a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever diagnose you
with […]?
Latin American cities-
SABE
Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have […]
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
Mexico-MHAS
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you that you
have […]
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
Netherlands-SHARE
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that you had
any of the conditions on this card? Please tell me the number
or numbers of the conditions.
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
Has a doctor every told you that you have […]
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
SAGE
Have you ever been diagnosed with […]
arthritis, hypertension, pulmonary, heart
disease, diabetes, stroke
Taiwan-SEBAS
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness? […]
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
US-HRS
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor ever told you
that you have […]?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave (yes/no).
(If respondent reported in last interview that had […]:) Our
records (from your last interview in respondent’s last
interview month, year) show that you have had […].
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did not report in
last interview that had […]:) Since we talked last in
respondent’s last interview month, year, has a doctor told
you that you have […]?
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
US-WLS
Has a doctor ever told you that you have […]?
arthritis, cancer, pulmonary, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke
Notes:
77
a For Indonesia the baseline survey year used in the cross national data was 2000 but that the 4th wave of data collection (2007) was used to
obtained information on chronic conditions
b All of these chronic conditions variables are self-reported health questions (“has a doctor ever diagnosed you with…?”). In some cases, there are
biomarkers to better define these conditions.
Shown in the table is the degree to which surveys asked questions about six major chronic conditions: arthritis, cancer, pulmonary disease, heart
disease, diabetes or stroke. In addition to these six major conditions, some surveys asked the respondent about the following chronic conditions:
tuberculosis (China-CLHLS, Mexico-MHAS, Bangladesh), asthma (England, Mexico-MHAS, Netherlands, US-WLS, Bangladesh, SAGE),
hypertension (Costa Rica, Indonesia, England, Taiwan, China-CHNS, China-CLHLS, US-HRS, SABE, Mexico-MHAS, Netherlands, SAGE, Puerto
Rico, US-WLS), osteoporosis (Costa Rica, England, SABE, Netherlands, US-WLS), anemia (Indonesia, Bangladesh), Parkinson’s disease
(England), psychiatric issues (England, SAGE), Alzheimer’s disease (England), ulcer (Taiwan, Netherlands, Bangladesh, US-WLS), liver or gall
bladder disease (Taiwan), cataracts (Taiwan, Netherlands, Bangladesh), kidney disease (Taiwan, US-WLS), gout (Taiwan), apoplexy (China-
CHNS), high blood cholesterol (Netherlands, US-WLS), paralysis (Bangladesh), edema (Bangladesh), penile discharge (Bangladesh), vaginal ulcers
(Bangladesh), brain hemorrhage (Puerto Rico), bilarciosis (Puerto Rico), fibromyalgia (US-WLS), irritable bowel syndrome (US-WLS), multiple
sclerosis (US-WLS), prostate problems (US-WLS), other lung conditions/breathing difficulty (Indonesia, Bangladesh), and other (Taiwan,
Netherlands, Bangladesh).
In addition to self-reported chronic condition questions, some surveys took biomarker data from respondents (see the country-specific appendices
for more information). This included: blood pressure (China-CHNS, China-CLHLS, Costa Rica, England, Indonesia, Taiwan, SAGE), spirometry
(Costa Rica), lung function (England, SAGE), pulse (Indonesia, Taiwan, SAGE), glucose (Costa Rica, Taiwan), and glycosylated hemoglobin (Costa
Rica, Taiwan). Taiwan has additional biomarker data, including blood, urine, and saliva samples that are not listed in the country-specific
appendix but can be found in the country-specific questionnaire. US-WLS collected saliva from respondents which will be used for DNA analyses.
This information is only available via the WLS secure server.
NadlGT0harm. A harmonized measure of adult functionality called NadlGT0harm is defined from questions based on
the Katz and Akpom (1976) activities of daily living (ADLs) and included the following ADLs: bath, toilet, dress and
transfer. Not all of these ADLs were asked in each country (see Tables A18-A20) and thus a harmonized version was
constructed using the Nagi items (1976) to estimate the missing ADL items. A more complete description of how the
harmonized measure was developed is described in the main text of this report. Table C17 describes the general question
and scale for ADLs asked and identifies how the harmonized variable was defined including the instances where the Nagi
items were used to estimate a particular ADL. Refer to the country-specific appendices for more detail regarding the
original variables listed in the table.
Table C17: Original variables and questions used to construct harmonized adult functionality
Country
Question
Scale
NadlGT0harm
Variables used to harmonize
functionality (exceptions)
Bangladesh-MHSS
If you have to […] without
1-easily
0-no
78
Country
Question
Scale
NadlGT0harm
Variables used to harmonize
functionality (exceptions)
help could you do it?
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
1-yes
1-yes
China-CHNS
Do you have any difficulty
[…]?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
Nagi items standing up after sitting for a
long time (u162) was used to define
transfer.
China-CLHLS
Can you […]?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
Costa Rica-CRELES
Is it difficult for you to
[…]?
1-yes
2-no
1-yes
0-no
Nagi ability to lift arms above shoulders
(d5) was used to define dress.
England-ELSA
Because of a health or
memory problem, do you
have difficulty […]?
1-yes
2-no
1-yes
0-no
Indonesia-IFLS
If you had to […] could you
do it?
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
Nagi items kk03g (stand up from sitting
in chair without help) and kk03f
(dressing) were used to define toilet.
Nagi kk03g was used to define transfer.
Latin American cities-
SABE
Do you have difficulty with
[…]?
1-yes
2-no
1-yes
0-no
Mexico-MHAS
Because of health
problems, do you have
difficulty […]?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
1-yes
0-no
1-yes
0-no
Netherlands-SHARE
Because of a health or
memory problem, do you
have difficulty […]?
1-yes
0-no
1-yes
0-no
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
Have you had difficulty […]
due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
1-yes
0-no
1-yes
0-no
SAGE
In the last 30 days, how
much difficulty did you
1-none
2-mild
0-no
0-no
79
Country
Question
Scale
NadlGT0harm
Variables used to harmonize
functionality (exceptions)
have […]?
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
Taiwan-SEBAS
Please tell me if you have
any difficulty doing these
activities […] by yourself?
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
0-no
1-yes
1-yes
1-yes
US-HRS
Because of a health or
memory problem do you
have difficulty with […]?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
1-yes
0-no
1-yes
0-no
US-WLS a
Notes:
a US-WLS did not have individual questions for ADLs based on the Katz scale, but does have items for the Nagi scale.
Note that most countries also conducted performance tests which can be used to validate functionality and/or disability. The results of the
following performance tests are available in the country-specific data files and are further described in the country-specific appendices: semi-
tandem (Bangladesh), full tandem (Bangladesh), side-by-side stand (Bangladesh, England), chair stand (Bangladesh, China-CLHLS, Indonesia),
repeated chair stands (Bangladesh, Costa Rica, SABE), measured walk (Bangladesh, England, Netherlands, SAGE), abnormalities of gait and
posture (Bangladesh), bending over/picking something up from floor (Bangladesh, China-CLHLS, Costa Rica), foot tapping (Bangladesh),
shoulder external rotation (Bangladesh), put hand behind neck (China-CLHLS), put hand behind lower back (China-CLHLS), raise arms upright
(China-CLHLS, Costa Rica), turn around 360 degrees (China-CLHLS), hand strength test (Costa Rica, SABE, Netherlands, SAGE), any impairment
(Costa Rica), standing (Costa Rica, SABE, Mexico-MHAS, Puerto Rico), standing from sitting and then walking (Costa Rica, Puerto Rico), leg raise
(England), squatting (SABE). Variables for performance measures are saved in the country-specific data files and the country-specific appendix.
Some of the performance measures available were not saved due to space constraints, but can be found in the country-specific appendices.
80
Tables C18-C20 describe the different components of ADLs, IADLs and Nagi functional items across surveys. Bolded ADL
items were used in the harmonization of ADLs described above and in the main text of this report. In some cases Nagi
items were used to estimate ADLs. Bolded items in IADLs (shopping, meals) and Nagi items (heavy, push) appear as
variables within the cross national data set.
Table C18: Comparison of functionality using ADLs (Katz)
Dimensions/Original Variables
Countries
bath
dress
toilet
transfer
eating
continence
Bangladesh-MHSS
gh09J
gh09L
gh09K
gh09M
China-CHNS
u167
u171
u173
u169
China-CLHLS
e1
e2
e3
e4
e6
e5
Costa Rica-CRELES
d8
d16
d13
d11
England-ELSA
headb01-headb13
headb01-
healthb13
headb01-headb13
headb01-headb13
Indonesia-IFLS
kk03h
kk03f
Latin American cities-SABE
d14a
d13a
d17a
d16a
d15a
Mexico-MHAS
h16_1
h13
h19_1
h18_1
h17_1
Netherlands-SHARE
ph049d3
ph049d1
ph049d6
ph049d5
ph049d4
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
i14
i10
i11
i13
SAGE
q2037
q2038
q2044
q2043
q2042
Taiwan-SEBAS
b7_1
b7_2
b7_6
b7_4
b7_3
US-HRS
US-WLS
Table C19: Comparison of functionality using IADLs (Lawton, Brody)
Dimensions/Original Variables
Countries
shopping
meals
transport
managing
money
telephone
join community
activities
washing
clothing
Bangladesh-MHSS
China-CHNS
u174
u175
u176
u177
u178
China-CLHLS
e8
e9
e14
e7
e10
Costa Rica-CRELES
d25
d21
d23
England-ELSA
headb01-
headb13
headb01-
headb13
heada01-
heada13
headb01-
headb13
Indonesia-IFLS
81
Latin American cities-
SABE
d21a
d18a
d20a
d19a
d22a
Mexico-MHAS
h27_1
h26_1
h29_1
Netherlands-SHARE
ph049d9
ph049d8
ph049d13
ph049d10
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
i3
i4
SAGE
q2045
q2033
Taiwan-SEBAS
b6_1
US-HRS
US-WLS
Countries
taking care of household
responsibilities
getting out
of home
day-to-
day
medication
reading
map
light
housework
heavy tasks
of the home
Bangladesh-MHSS
China-CHNS
China-CLHLS
Costa Rica-CRELES
d27
England-ELSA
headb01-
headb13
headb01-
headb13
headb01-
headb13
Indonesia-IFLS
Latin American cities-
SABE
d25a
d23a
d24a
Mexico-MHAS
h28_1
Netherlands-SHARE
ph049d11
ph049d7
ph049d12
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
SAGE
q2032
q2046
q2039
Taiwan-SEBAS
US-HRS
US-WLS
ixch01re
Table C20: Comparison for functionality using Nagi items
Dimensions/Original Variables
Countries
walking long
distance
heavy
draw
water
standing up
use
ladder
sit with bent
knees
bow
82
Bangladesh-MHSS
gh09A
gh09B
gh09C
gh09D,
gh09G
gh09E
gh09F
gh09H
China-CHNS
u158
u165
u162
u166
China-CLHLS
e11
e12
e13
Costa Rica-CRELES
England-ELSA
headb01-
headb13
headb01-
headb13
heada01-
heada10,
Indonesia-IFLS
kk03c, kk03j
kk03a
kk03d
kk03i, kk03g
kk03e
Latin American cities-
SABE
d09
d03
d06
Mexico-MHAS
h1
h5
h8
Netherlands-SHARE
ph048d9
ph048d3
ph048d6
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
SAGE
q2036
q2027
q2030
Taiwan-SEBAS
b5_6
b5_3
US-HRS
US-WLS
ixch04re
ixch08re
Dimensions/Original Variables
Countries
sweeping
running
walking short
distance
cross the
room
sitting long
periods
going up one
flight
going up
stairs
Bangladesh-MHSS
gh09I
China-CHNS
u157
u159
u160
u161
u163
u164
China-CLHLS
Costa Rica-CRELES
d2
d6
d3
England-ELSA
heada01-heada10
headb01-
headb13
headb01-
headb10
heada01-
heada10
heada01-
heada10
Indonesia-IFLS
kk03b
Latin American cities-
SABE
d01a
d01c
d11
d02
d05
d04
Mexico-MHAS
h2
h3
h15_1
h4
h7
h6
Netherlands-SHARE
ph048d1
ph049d2
ph048d2
ph048d5
ph048d4
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
SAGE
q2026
q2041
q2025
q2029
Taiwan-SEBAS
b5_7
b5_8
b7_5
b5_9
US-HRS
US-WLS
ixch07re
ixch02re
83
Dimensions/Original Variables
Countries
carrying
things
appearance
standing
pick coin off
table
extending
arms
concentrating
push
cross the
street
Bangladesh-MHSS
gh09B
China-CHNS
u165
u172
China-CLHLS
Costa Rica-CRELES
d19
d4
England-ELSA
heada01-
heada10
heada01-
heada10
heada01-
heada10
headb01-
headb10
Indonesia-IFLS
Latin American
cities-SABE
d10
d07
d08
d01b
Mexico-MHAS
h11
h12
h9
h10
Netherlands-SHARE
ph04810
ph048d7
ph048d8
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
SAGE
q2040
q2028
q2031
q2034
q2035
Taiwan-SEBAS
b5_1,
b5_2
b5_5
b5_4
US-HRS
US-WLS
ixch03re
ixch06re
ixch09re
ixch05re
84
Appendix D: Overview of country-specific data files
Listed below is the location within country-specific questionnaires for variables used in
the cross national data and country-specific data files according to broad dimensions:
85
Original data source from survey questionnaires
Countries
Demographics
Early Life
Adult Lifestyle
Adult Health
Outcomes
Bangladesh
Book I: Section LH; Book II:
Sections AE, AI, FB, HRT, LI,
NAE, NFB & OFI; Book III:
Sections MG, ED & CH
Book I: Section HC; Book II:
Section HA; Book III: Sections
PAR, EMP & MG; Book VI:
Section CA
Book III: Section
SPN
Book III: Sections GH &
CM
China-CHNS
2000 Household Survey:
Cover Screen; Tables 1, 2 & 6;
Introduction
2000 Household Survey:
Tables 2, 18 & 20; Physical
Examination: Section I
2000 Questionnaire:
Sections VI & XI
2000 Questionnaire:
Sections V & III; Physical
Examination: Section XII
China-CLHLS
2000 Questionnaire: Release
Version 1, Sections F & A
2000 Questionnaire: Sections
D, F & G
2000 Questionnaire:
Section D
2000 Questionnaire:
Sections B, D, G, H & E
Costa Rica-
CRELES
Round 1: Identity Section;
Sections A, SP & H;
Introduction
Round 1: Sections A, IN, J, K
& L
Round 1: Section EV
Round 1: Sections C & D
England-
ELSA
Wave 2: Modules Individual
Demographics, Final
Questions & Household
Demographics; End of
Dataset; Financial Variables;
Wave 0; Wave 1
Wave 2: Modules Individual
Demographics, Standing
Height, Weight, Waist and
Hip, Blood Pressure,
Balancing, Leg Raise & Paper
Self-Completion
Questionnaire; Lung Function
Admin
Wave 2: Modules
Health Module &
Paper Self-
Completion
Questionnaire; Wave
1; Wave 0
Wave 2: Health Module;
Wave 3: Health Self-
Completion
Questionnaire: In
Confidence
Indonesia-
IFLS
Book IIIA: Sections MG, DL,
SW & BR; Book US I: Section
US; Ptrack data file
Book II: Section KR; Book
IIIB: Sections BA; Book US II:
Section US
Book IIIB: Section
KM
Book IIIB: Section KK;
Book US II: Section US,
Ptrack data file
Latin
American
cities-SABE
Sections A, C, H & G
Sections C, J, K & L
Section C
Sections C & D
Mexico-
MHAS
Basic Questionnaire: Sections
A, F & K
Basic Questionnaire: Sections
A, F, C, J & L
Basic Questionnaire:
Section C
Basic Questionnaire:
Sections C, SA & H
Netherlands-
SHARE
2004 Questionnaire, Version
10: Cover screen; Modules
DN & CH; Generated
Variables
2004 Questionnaire, Version
10: Module PH
2004 Questionnaire,
Version 10: Module
BR
2004 Questionnaire,
Version 10: Modules
sharew1_gv_dol, PH &
XT; Generated Variables;
Self Administered
Questionnaire A
86
Puerto Rico-
PREHCO
Wave 1, 2002 Questionnaire:
Sections A, C, D, E, L, N & R,
Section of Identification and
Type of Interview
Wave 1, 2002 Questionnaire:
Sections A, H, O, P & U
Wave 1, 2002
Questionnaire:
Section G
Wave 1, 2002
Questionnaire: Sections G
& I; Wave 2, 2006
Questionnaire: Section G
SAGE
Household Questionnaire:
Sections 0100, 0400 & 0700;
Individual Questionnaire:
Section 1000
Individual Questionnaire:
Sections 1000 & 2500;
Household Questionnaire:
Section 0500
Individual
Questionnaire:
Section 3000
Individual Questionnaire:
Sections 2000, 4000 &
7000
Taiwan-
SEBAS
First Interview
Questionnaire: Sections A &
D
First Interview Questionnaire:
Physical Examination
First Interview
Questionnaire:
Health Behaviors,
Section B
First Interview
Questionnaire: Section B
US-HRS
2000 Questionnaire: Section
A, Tracker file, Respondent &
Household cover screen
2000 Questionnaire: Sections
A & B
2000 Questionnaire:
Section B
2000 Questionnaire:
Sections B & E; Tracker
file
US-WLS
Mail: Social Background;
Phone: Status and Descriptive
Variables, Summary
Variables, Education,
Household, Marriage Roster,
Children, Siblings, Other
Income
1957-Parents; Mail: Social
Background, Health and
Health Behaviors, Social
Relationships
Mail: Health and
Health Behaviors,
Social and Civic
Participation
Mail: Health and Health
Behaviors, World Health
Survey Vignettes; Phone:
Health
Below is a listing of the selected country-specific surveys with the survey year used as baseline in cross national data.
Countries
Survey name
Survey year
Bangladesh
Matlab Health and Aging Study (MHAS)
1996
China-CHNS
China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS)
2000
China-CLHLS
Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS)
2002
Costa Rica-CRELES
Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES)
2003
England-ELSA
English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)
2004-2005
Indonesia-IFLS
The Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS)
2000
Latin American cities-SABE
Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE)
2000
Mexico-MHAS
Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS)
2001
Netherlands-SHARE
The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)
2004-2005
Puerto Rico-PREHCO
The Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO)
2002-2003
SAGE
Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE)
2007-2008
87
Taiwan-SEBAS
Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS)
2000
US-HRS
Health and Retirement Study (HRS)
2000
US-WLS
Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS)
2004-2005
88
Appendix E: Bangladesh-MHSS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Bangladesh-MHSS survey that
were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the Bangladesh data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table E1. Respondent (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
case
Household ID.
disphh3
Final disposition of the interview.
1-completed
lh03
Relationship with the head of the household.
01-78 (see Appendix A
in Bangladesh
questionnaire)
lh10
DSS Respondent ID No. Identifier in the DSS system.
person
Household member line number.
status
Created by MHAS researchers. Indicator variable. Primary
or Secondary main survey.
1-primary household
2-secondary
household
anything greater than
2 should be deleted
sampling weights are
only available for
those with status=1
treatmnt
Variable that identifies treatment area.
1-4 treatments
5
type_hh
Type of household.
wt_ind
Individual sampling weights.
Table E2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel E2.1 Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
lh09
Sex.
1-male
3-female
lh11m
[]’s date of birth.
(month)
lh11y
[]’s date of birth.
(year)
lh12m
[]’s age.
(months)
lh12y
[]’s age.
(years)
lh15
[]’s marital status.
01-never married
02-currently married
03-separated
04-divorced
05-widow/widower
lh16
Ordinal number of []’s spouse.
51-married but living
separately
89
52-has died
97-NA
99-missing
mh01
Interviewer to verify respondent’s current marital status
in householders list (lh15).
01-never married
02-married
03-separated
04-divorced
05-widow/widower
9-missing
Panel E2.2. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ed03
Have you ever attended/are you attending school?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
ed06
(If ever attended school) What was the type of school last
attended?
02-maktab
03-madrasha
04-school/college
05-brac school
99-missing
ed07
What was your highest class attended?
1-class I
2-class II
3-class III
4-class IV
5-class V
6-class VI
7-class VII
8-class VIII
9-class IX
10-SCC (Secondary
School Certificate)
11-HSC (Higher
Secondary Certificate)
12-Graduate
13-MA
14-doctor MBBs
16-B.Sc. engineer
17-polytechnic
engineer
18-other,specify
99-missing
ed08a
What was your highest class completed?
0-less than class I
1-class I
2-class II
3-class III
4-class IV
5-class V
6-class VI
7-class VII
8-class VIII
9-class IX
10-SCC (Secondary
90
School Certificate)
11-HSC (Higher
Secondary Certificate)
12-Graduate
13-MA
14-doctor MBBs
16-B.Sc. engineer
17-polytechnic
engineer
18-other,specify
99-missing
ed08b
Are you attending school now?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
emp05
Have you ever worked before?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
emp10
What was your primary occupation for most of your life?
01-72 (see Appendix B
of Bangladesh
questionnaire)
99-missing
emp11a
What was your primary occupation for most of your life?
01-72 (see Appendix B
of Bangladesh
questionnaire)
98-don’t know
99-missing
ha01A
Is there any householder who currently owns homestead
land (with house)?
1-yes
3-no
ha01B
Is there any householder who currently owns ornaments
(gold, silver)?
1-yes
3-no
ha01C
Is there any householder who currently owns savings in
bank/prize bond/provident fund?
1-yes
3-no
ha01D
Is there any householder who currently owns television?
1-yes
3-no
ha01E
Is there any householder who currently owns
radio/cassette player?
1-yes
3-no
ha01F
Is there any householder who currently owns wall
clock/table clock/wrist watch?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
ha01G
Is there any householder who currently owns electric fan?
1-yes
3-no
ha01H
Is there any householder who currently owns cycle?
1-yes
3-no
ha01I
Is there any householder who currently owns furniture?
1-yes
3-no
ha01J
Is there any householder who currently owns quilt?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
ha01K
Is there any householder who currently owns other assets,
specify?
1-yes
3-no
hc08
Does this household utilize electricity?
1-yes
91
3-no
9-missing
hc10
What is the main source of drinking water in this
household?
01-tap water
02-tube-well
03-regular well
04-pond
05-canal
06-river
07-rain water
08-other, specify
hc11
Where is the main water source located?
1-inside the house
2-outside the house
but inside bari
3-outside bari
9-missing
hc16f
Where do the adult women of this household usually go to
have their bowel movements?
01-sepric tank/modern
latrine
02-slab latrine
03-pit latrine
04-open latrine
05-hang latrine
06-no
latrine/yard/field
07-other, specify
97-n/a
99-missing
hc16m
Where do the adult men of this household usually go to
have their bowel movements?
01-sepric tank/modern
latrine
02-slab latrine
03-pit latrine
04-open latrine
05-hang latrine
06-no
latrine/yard/field
07-other, specify
97-n/a
99-missing
lh19
What is []’s occupation?
(see occupation code,
appendix B)
99-missing
lh20
What is the type of school most recently attended by []?
01-never attended
school
02-maktab
03-madrasha
04-school/college
05-BRAC school
98-don’t know
99-missing
lh21
What is the highest class completed?
0-less than class I
1-class I
2-class II
92
3-class III
4-class IV
5-class V
6-class VI
7-class VII
8-class VIII
9-class IX
10-SCC (Secondary
School Certificate)
11-HSC (Higher
Secondary Certificate)
12-Graduate
13-MA
14-doctor MBBs
16-B.Sc. engineer
17-polytechnic
engineer
18-other,specify
98-don’t know
99-missing
lh22
What is the type of school last attended by []’s spouse?
01-never attended
school
02-maktab
03-madrasha
04-school/college
05-BRAC school
97-n/a
99-missing
lh23
What is the highest class completed by
[]’s spouse?
0-less than class I
1-class I
2-class II
3-class III
4-class IV
5-class V
6-class VI
7-class VII
8-class VIII
9-class IX
10- SCC (Secondary
School Certificate)
11-HSC (Higher
Secondary Certificate)
12-Graduate
13-MA
14-Doctor MBBs
97-n/a
98-don’t know
99-missing
lh24
What is []’s spouse’s occupation?
01-72 (see Appendix B
in Bangladesh
questionnaire)
93
97-n/a
98-don’t know
99-missing
Panel E2.3. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ch01a
What is the total number of children still alive?
(number)
sib01a
What is the total number of siblings still alive?
(number)
sib01b
What is the number of siblings who stay with you in this
household?
(number)
sib01c
What is the number of siblings who do not live in this
household and are still alive?
(number)
sib01d
What is the number of siblings who died during the past
12 months and were non-householders at the time of their
deaths?
(number)
sib02
Number of non-householder siblings alive now or died in
last 12 months (if number of siblings is zero then go to
next section).
(number)
Table E3. Early Life Conditions
Panel E3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
lh11m
[]’s date of birth.
(month)
lh11y
[]’s date of birth.
(year)
mg01
What is the [..] name of your birthplace?
01-same household
02-same bari
03-same village
04-same thana
05-same district
06-outside district but
same country
07-Dhaka city
99-missing
mg02
Is the place a:
1-village
3-small town
5-big city
8-DK
9- refused
mg03a
Where did you live when you were 12 years old?
01-same household
02-same bari
03-same village
04-same thana
05-same district
06-outside district but
same country
07-Dhaka city
99-missing
mg04
Is the place a…
1-village
3-small town
5-big city
8,9-DK, refused
94
Panel E3.2. Childhood Health and Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ca05cm
Height
(centimeters)
999-missing
ca05mm
Height
(millimeters)
99-missing
Panel E3.3. Childhood SES (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ed03
Have you ever attended/are you attending school?
1-yes
3-no
9- missing
ed05
How old were you when you first started school?
(years)
99-missing
ed06
(If ever attended school) What was the type of school last
attended?
02-maktab
03-madrasha
04-school/college
05-brac school
99- missing
ed08a
What was your highest class completed?
0-less than class I
1-class I
2-class II
3-class III
4-class IV
5-class V
6-class VI
7-class VII
8-class VIII
9-class IX
10-SCC (Secondary
School Certificate)
11-HSC (Higher
Secondary Certificate)
12-Graduate
13-MA
14-doctor MBBs
16-B.Sc. engineer
17-polytechnic
engineer
18-other,specify
99-missing
par02f
Where did your father live in the last 12 months?
1-alive and in the same
household
2-alive and lived in
different household
3-dead
9-missing
par02m
Where did your mother live in the last 12 months?
1-alive and in the same
household
2-alive and lived in
different household
3-dead
95
9-missing
par03amf
How long ago did your father die? Fill in years/months.
(months)
98-don’t know
99-missing
par03amm
How long ago did your mother die? Fill in years/months.
(months)
98-don’t know
99-missing
par03ayf
How long ago did your father die? Fill in years/months.
(years)
98-don’t know
99-missing
par03aym
How long ago did your mother die? Fill in years/months.
(years)
98-don’t know
99-missing
par03b_f
How old was your father when he died? Fill in years.
(years)
98-don’t know
99-missing
par03b_m
How old was your mother when she died? Fill in years.
(years)
98-don’t know
99-missing
par04_f
How old is/was your father now/when he died? Fill in
years.
(years)
997-NA
998-don’t know
999-missing
par04_m
How old is/was your mother now/when she died? Fill in
years.
(years)
997-NA
998-don’t know
999-missing
par05_f
What was the last school attended by your father?
01-never attended
school
02-maktab
03-madrasa
04-school/college
05-brac school
8- don’t know
9-missing
par05_m
What was the last school attended by your mother?
01-never attended
school
02-maktab
03-madrasa
04-school/college
05-brac school
8-don’t know
9-missing
par06_f
What was the highest class completed by your father?
0-less than class I
1-class I
2-class II
3-class III
4-class IV
5-class V
6-class VI
7-class VII
96
8-class VIII
9-class IX
10-SCC (Secondary
School Certificate)
11-HSC (Higher
Secondary Certificate)
12-Graduate
13-MA
14-doctor MBBs
16-B.Sc. engineer
17-polytechnic
engineer
18-other,specify
98-don’t know
99-missing
par06_m
What was the highest class completed by your mother?
0-less than class I
1-class I
2-class II
3-class III
4-class IV
5-class V
6-class VI
7-class VII
8-class VIII
9-class IX
10-SCC (Secondary
School Certificate)
11-HSC (Higher
Secondary Certificate)
12-Graduate
13-MA
14-doctor MBBs
16-B.Sc. engineer
17-polytechnic
engineer
18-other,specify
98-don’t know
99-missing
par07_f
What is/was your father’s occupation now/at time of
death?
01-72 (see Appendix B
of Bangladesh
questionnaire)
97-n/a
98-don’t know
99-missing
par07_m
par08_f
What is/was your mother’s occupation now/at time of
death?
What is/was your father’s occupation for most of his life?
01-72 (see Appendix B
of Bangladesh
questionnaire)
97-n/a
98-don’t know
99-missing
01-72 (see Appendix B
97
of Bangladesh
questionnaire)
97-n/a
98-don’t know
99-missing
par08_m
What is/was your mother’s occupation for most of her
life?
01-72 (see Appendix B
of Bangladesh
questionnaire)
97-n/a
98-don’t know
99-missing
Table E4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel E4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
spn01a
Have you had the habit of chewing PAN (Betal leaf)?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
spn01b
Have you had the habit of smoking a hookah?
1-yes
3-no
7-NA
9-missing
spn01c
Have you had the habit of smoking biri?
1-yes
3-no
6-refused
7-n/a
9-missing
spn01d
Have you had the habit of smoking cigarettes/cigars?
1-yes
3-no
7-NA
9-missing
spn02a
Do you still have the habit of chewing PAN or have you
totally quit chewing PAN?
1-still smokes/chews
3-gave up
7-NA
9-missing
spn02b
Do you still have the habit of smoking hookah?
1-still smokes/chews
3-gave up
7-NA
9-missing
spn02c
Do you still have the habit of smoking biri?
1-still smokes/chews
3-gave up
7-NA
9-missing
spn02d
Do you still have the habit of smoking cigarettes?
1-still smokes/chews
3-gave up
7-NA
9-missing
98
Panel E4.2. Health Care Utilization (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
am09
Do you feel you have any such health problem for which
you need medical care but it is not available to you at
present?
1-yes, specify medical
problems
3-no
9-missing
am10
Why are you unable to get this treatment?
1-lack of money
2-too far away
3-other, specify
9-missing
oc01_1
Within last one year have you ever been to the district
hospital/visited by the district hospital?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_10
Within last one year have you ever been to the
midwife/tba/visited by the midwife/tba?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_11
Within last one year have you ever been to the traditional
practitioner (Kabiraj, Fakir, Hakimi, Village Doctor,
etc.)/visited by the traditional practitioner (Kabiraj, Fakir,
Hakimi, Village Doctor, etc.)?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_12
Within last one year have you ever been to the satellite
clinic/visited by the satellite clinic?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_13
Within last one year have you ever been to the
pharmacy/visited by the pharmacy?
1-yes
3-no
6-refused
oc01_14
Within last one year have you ever been to the
FWC/visited by the FWC?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_15
Within last one year have you ever been to the
FWA/visited by the FWA?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_16
Within last one year have you ever been to other,
specify/visited by other, specify?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_2
Within last one year have you ever been to the thana
health complex/visited by the thana health complex?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_3
Within last one year have you ever been to the ICDDRB
hospital/visited by the ICDDRB hospital?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_4
Within last one year have you ever been to the ICDDRB
sub center/visited by the ICDDRB sub center?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_5
Within last one year have you ever been to the health
worker/visited by the health worker?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_6
Within last one year have you ever been to the ICDDRB
health worker/visited by the ICDDRB health worker?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_7
Within last one year have you ever been to the private
clinic/visited by the private clinic?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_8
Within last one year have you ever been to the doctors
(MBBS)/visited by the doctors (MBBS)?
1-yes
3-no
oc01_9
Within last one year have you ever been to the village
doctor/visited by the village doctor?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_1
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the district
hospital/visited by the district hospital?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_10
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
midwife/tba/visited by the midwife/tba?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_11
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
traditional practitioner (Kabiraj, Fakir, Hakimi, Village
1-yes
3-no
99
Doctor, etc.)/visited by the traditional practitioner
(Kabiraj, Fakir, Hakimi, Village Doctor, etc.)?
oc02_12
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
satellite clinic/visited by the satellite clinic?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_13
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
pharmacy/visited by the pharmacy?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_14
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
FWC/visited by the FWC?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_15
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
FWA/visited by the FWA?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_16
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to other,
specify/visited by other, specify?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_2
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the thana
health complex/visited by the thana health complex?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_3
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
ICDDRB hospital/visited by the ICDDRB hospital?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_4
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
ICDDRB sub center/visited by the ICDDRB sub center?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_5
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the health
worker/visited by the health worker?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_6
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the
ICDDRB health worker/visited by the ICDDRB health
worker?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_7
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the private
clinic/visited by the private clinic?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_8
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the doctors
(MBBS)/visited by the doctors (MBBS)?
1-yes
3-no
oc02_9
Within the last 3 months have you ever been to the village
doctor/visited by the village doctor?
1-yes
3-no
oc12h
What is the travel time to reach the provider/facility? (one
way)
(hours)
oc12m
What is the travel time to reach the provider/facility? (one
way)
(minutes)
sn68b
Did you ever go to hospital/clinic/doctor?
1-yes, but never alone
2-yes, alone
3-no
9-missing
sn69b
In the last year did you ever go to hospital/clinic/doctor?
Probe.
1-yes, but never alone
2-yes, alone
3-no
9-missing
Table E5. Adult Health Outcomes
Panel E5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
gh01
What is your current health status?
1-healthy
2-fairly healthy
3-unhealthy/sick
9-missing
gh02
What do you mean by fairly healthy?
1-better than average
health
100
2-worse than average
health
9-missing
gh03y,
gh03m
For how long have you been worse than average
health/unhealthy?
(Fill in year/month)
99-missing
gh04
Compared to another person of your age, would you
say that your health is…?
1-better than others
2-same as others
3-worse than the others
9-missing
gh05
Compared to last year would you say that your current
health is…?
1-good compared to last
year
2-the same compared to
last year
3-worse compared to last
year
9-missing
gh06
How do you expect our health to be in next year?
1-better than now
2-same as now
3-worse than now
4-label not available
8-don’t know
9-missing
gh07
Interviewer Observation: Health condition of
respondent
1-healthy
2-fairly healthy
3-unhealthy/sick
6-refused
9-missing
gh08
Are you paralyzed/unable to move any extremity?
(Answer may be more than one.)
A. all extremities are fine
B. can’t move right
hand/arm
C. left hand/arm cannot be
moved
D. can’t move both
hands/arms
E. right leg cannot be
moved
F. left leg cannot be moved
G. both legs cannot be
moved
H. problem with hip
movement
I. all four extremities
cannot be moved
Panel E5.2. Anthropometric Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ca07gm
Weight
(grams)
ca07kg
Weight
(kilograms)
101
Panel E5.3. Functionality (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
gh09A
If you have to walk for one mile could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09B
If you have to carry a heavy load (like 10 Serr rice) for
20 yards could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09C
If you have to draw a pail of water from the tube-well
could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09D
If you have to stand up from sitting position on the
floor without help could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09E
If you have to use a ladder to climb to storage place at
least 5 feet in height could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
6-refused
9-n/a
gh09F
If you have to sit on floor with bent knees could you
do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09G
If you have to stand up from sitting position on
chair/stool without help could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09H
If you have to bow could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09I
If you have to sweep the floor or yard could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09J
If you have to bathe without help could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09K
If you have to go to the toilet without help could you
do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09L
If you have to dress yourself without help could you
do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
102
gh09M
If you have to get up/down from/to your bed without
help could you do it?
1-easily
2-have trouble
3-unable to do it
9-n/a
gh09X
Interviewer: Respondent’s age 50 or more?
1-age 50 or more
3-less than 50
Panel E5.4. Chronic Conditions (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
cm01_1
Have you ever suffered from anaemia during the past
1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_10
Have you ever suffered from paralysis during the past
1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_11
Have you ever suffered from tuberculosis during the
past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
cm01_12
Have you ever suffered from gastric/ulcer during the
past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_13
Have you ever suffered from edema during the past 1
year?
1-yes
3-no
7-n/a
cm01_14
Have you ever suffered from penile discharge (males);
after week 12, also vaginal ulcers (females) during the
past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
7-n/a (female before week
12)
9-missing
cm01_15
Have you ever suffered from penile ulcers in the past
1 year?
1-yes
3-no
7-n/a
9-missing
cm01_2
Have you ever suffered from arthritis or rheumatism
during the past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_3
Have you ever suffered from broken or fractured
bones during the past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_4
Have you ever suffered from cataracts during the past
1 year?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
cm01_5
Have you ever suffered from eye disease (other than
cataract) during the past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_6
Have you ever suffered from asthma during the past 1
year?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
cm01_7
Have you ever suffered from other breathing difficulty
during the past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_8
Have you ever suffered from diabetes during the past
1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm01_9
Have you ever suffered from pain on passing
urine/burning sensation during the past 1 year?
1-yes
3-no
cm02_2
Have you ever suffered from arthritis or rheumatism
during the past three months?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
cm02_7
Have you ever suffered from other breathing difficulty
1-yes
103
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above.
Rahman, O., Menken, J., Foster, A., & Gertler, P. Matlab [Bangladesh] Health and
Socioeconomic Survey (MHSS), 1996. ICPSR02705-v5. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university
Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], accessed 2008-04-25.
http://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/MHSS.html,
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/02705/version/5.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table E1. Interview Session Notes (Section ISN) are available in Book I of the
Questionnaire. For further information about the status variable, see Rahman et al. (1999).
Note A, Table E2. There is additional information regarding non-householder siblings’
education, marital status and number of children, in Section SIB of Book III. There is extensive
information on social networks in Section SN of Book III.
Note A, Panel E2.2. There are additional variables (ofi010t6, ofi010t7) that list what
respondents reported as their other sources of income. These intermediary variables were not
saved in the final file, but can be attained from the original MHSS survey (RAND: Family Life
Surveys, 1994-2012). Household characteristics, including observations on general sanitary
conditions, ownership, roofing and flooring types, available in Book I of the questionnaire
include hc01-hc17. There is a section in Book III on individual assets (Section IA). These
intermediary variables were not saved in the final file, but can be attained from the original
MHSS survey (RAND: Family Life Surveys, 1994-2012). Users should also be aware that the
following variables were used to calculate the respondent’s income but are not saved in the final
during the past three months?
3-no
cm02_8
Have you ever suffered from diabetes during the past
three months?
1-yes
3-no
cm03_2
Does arthritis or rheumatism create any difficulty in
doing your day to day activities during the past 3
months?
1-no difficulty
2-some difficulty
3-lot of difficulty
4-unable to do it
7-n/a
9-missing
cm03_7
Does other breathing difficulty create any difficulty in
doing your day to day activities during the past 3
months?
1-no difficulty
2-some difficulty
3-lot of difficulty
4-unable to do it
cm03_8
Does diabetes create any difficulty in doing your day
to day activities during the past 3 months?
1-no difficulty
2-some difficulty
3-lot of difficulty
4-unable to do it
9-missing
Panel E5.5. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
mo_date
Date of death. Variable constructed by MHSS team.
mo_cause
Cause of death. Variable constructed by MHSS team.
(see note C)
104
file: fb_asst, nae05, nae07, nae08b, ai11, ae03, ae04, ae07, ai01, ai02, ai05m, ai07, ai08, ai09,
ai10m, fb01a, fb04, ha_asst, hrt11, hrt20, li01, li08, li09, li10, li11a, li11b, nae03, nae04a,
nae04b, nae04c, nae04t, nae08a, nae08c, nae08t, nfb01, nfb03, nfb05, nfb06, ofi02_1,
ofi02_2, ofi02_3, ofi02_4, ofi02_5, ofi02_6, ofi02_7.
Note A, Table E3.3 Variables appearing in the questionnaire are sometimes slightly modified in
the data. For example, par05f from the questionnaire appears as par05_f in the data file.
Another example is par06f from the questionnaire appearing as par06_f in the data file.
Note A, Panel E4.1. Section SPN has other variables related to smoking including spn03-spn06.
These include questions on the timing and frequency of smoking.
Note A, Panel E4.2. There are additional questions (oc03) regarding frequency of visits during
the past three months available in Section OC of Book III. There are additional variables
associated with oc12, and oc11 which provides information on the distance to the nearest
provider. There are also questions regarding medications in Section MED of Book III, and
hospitalization in Section HOS of Book III.
Note A, Panel E5.2. There is a cognitive test included in Book VI. Performance measures
available in Bangladesh but not saved in the country-specific Bangladesh file are listed below:
1. Stands. Static balance. Graded series of tests of balance with eyes open and feet in semi-
tandem, full tandem, and feet together position. The semi-tandem stand procedure
serves as a screening test for the tandem stand. Each respondent will be asked to
perform a combination of only two positions: semi and full or semi and side by side. The
respondent receives only one try to maintain each position; therefore it is important to
explain the goal of the exercise. Walking aids may not be used in any of the three stands.
a. Semi-tandem. Tell the respondent, “First I would like you to try to stand with the
side of the heel of one foot touching the big toe of the other foot for about ten
seconds. You may use either foot whichever is more comfortable for you. Now I
am going to support your arm while you get into the position. You may use your
arms, bend your knees, or move your body to maintain your balance, but try not
to move your feet. Try to hold this position until I say ‘Stop.’”
b. Full tandem. Tell the respondent, “Now I would like you to try to stand with the
heel of one foot in front of and touching the toes of the other foot for about ten
seconds. You may use either foot, whichever is more comfortable for you. Now I
am going to support your arm while you get into the position. You may use your
arms, bend your knees, or move your body to maintain your balance, but try not
to move your feet. Try to hold this position until I say ‘Stop.’”
c. Side by side stand. Tell the respondent, “Now I would like you to stand with your
feet together, side by side, for about ten seconds. You may use your arms to
maintain your balance, but try not to move your feet. Try to hold this position
until I say ‘Stop.’”
2. Chair stand. Measures the ability to stand up from a standard chair without using arms.
Use of walking aids is not permitted. Ask the respondent, “Do you have any problems
from recent surgery, injury or other health conditions that might prevent you from
standing up from a chair or walking up steps? First would you please fold your arms
across your chest and sit in the chair so that you are sitting with your feet on the floor.
Now please try to stand up without using your arms. Ok, try to stand up using your arms
to push off.”
3. Repeated chair stands. Time required to stand up from a chair five times. Use of walking
aids is not permitted. Ask the respondent, “Do you think it would be unsafe for you to try
105
to stand up from a chair five times quickly? Keep your arms folded across your chest.
When I say ‘Ready? Stand,’ please stand up straight as quickly as you can five times
without stopping in between. After standing each time, sit down and then stand again.
I’ll be timing you with the stopwatch.”
4. Measured walk. Time required to walk 2.5 meter measured course twice. Tell the
respondent, “Now we are going to observe how you normally walk. If you use a cane or
other walking aid and would feel more comfortable with it, then you may use it. This is
our walking course. I want you to walk to the other end of the course at your usual speed,
just as if you were walking down the street to go to the store. I want you to walk all the
way past the other end of the ruler before you stop. I will walk with you. When I want
you to start I will say: ‘Ready, begin.’ I will always be beside you to steady you if you
begin to lose your balance. I would now like you to repeat the walk. Remember to walk at
your usual pace, and go all the way past the other end of the course.”
5. Abnormalities of gait and posture. Note any abnormalities and record details.
6. Bending over. This movement involves bending over to pick up a pencil. Ask the
respondent if they have had an operation for cataracts within the past six weeks. If they
say ‘yes,’ they should not try this movement. Tell the respondent, “When I say ‘Begin,”
I’d like you to bend over and pick up this pencil and stand back up.”
7. Foot tapping. Place foot-tapping mat on the floor in front of the chair so the respondent
can reach the circles on the mat easily while seated in the chair. The circles should be six
inches in diameter. Tell the respondent, “Now I’d like you to put your right foot here
between these circles. When I say ‘Go,’ I’d like you to tap your foot back and forth in each
circle. Tap the ball of your foot on the circles as fast as you can, first one circle and then
the other, back and forth as fast as you can like this (Demonstrate). Keep tapping your
foot back and forth until I tell you to stop. I’m going to time you and count the taps. It
doesn’t count unless you hit the circle with your foot. First we’ll do the right foot and
then the left. Please try it once or twice for practice. Ready with the right foot? Begin.”
8. Shoulder external rotation. Demonstrate while telling the respondent, “Now I’d like you
to stand up (sit up) straight and put both hands behind your head at the level of your
ears. Try to raise your arms up parallel to the floor and point your elbows out to the
side.”
Note A, Panel E5.3. There are also a series of gh10 variables which ask how long the respondent
has had the difficulty.
Note A, Panel E5.4. There is additional information for each chronic disease in questions cm02
and cm03. There are also questions relating to health symptoms in Section AM of Book III.
NOTE B.
There are several items of particular note in examining the Bangladesh data. The notes below
describe some of the more salient items to take into consideration.
Notes about sample design and randomness (Rahman et al., 1999)
All persons 50+ were interviewed in this survey.
A bari is a cluster of households in close proximity to each other (a residential compound). A
random sample of baris was conducted which ultimately produced a possible sample of 2781
baris. Then, a household was randomly selected from these baris (called a primary household).
Following this, a second household was selected (secondary household) which in some cases was
106
random and in other cases not random. The selection of the primary and some secondary
households could be considered a random selection of households (Rahman et al., 1999, page
28). Sample weights are just for primary households (to get population estimates).
Maternal and Child Health Interventions of the 1970s-1980s
The Matlab area received a maternal and child health (MCH) intervention, Family Planning &
Health Services Project (FPHSP) in 1977. There is a variable (treatmnt) in the data set which
identifies if the household participated in a special treatment program (Rahman et al., 1999,
page 71).
According to the Menken and Phillips (1990), the study area consisted of 4 blocks of 20 villages
(blocks A, B, C, D). At its inception, the intervention provided comprehensive family planning
with limited MCH services. In 1982, the program was extended to include more intensive MCH
services in blocks A and C, specifically.
Thus, the intervention changed across time but all four of the blocks received some type of
family planning/MCH service. The question really is: what was the impact on others within the
family? Did the intervention help educate them of the importance of health services? When the
physician visited did they also ask about other health problems?
In 1978, those born in 1937-1946 would have been 32-41 years old (50-59 years in 1996 survey
year); those born in 1922-1936 would have been 42-56 years old (60-74 years in 1996 survey
year); those born in 1921 and earlier would have been at least 57 years old (75+ in 1996 survey
year).
Fifteen to forty-nine years old are considered reproductive ages and so those born in 1929 and
after had the potential for being directly exposed to MCH interventions. There were 902 total
females living in the treatment area and 704 of them were born in 1929 or after and so a high
percentage of females could have received treatment. There were 1831 total females ages 50+
and so about 38% of them could have received more direct treatment of MCH services from the
1970s.
Were these individuals in better health over the long run?
Was there a longer time period between births in Bangladesh (the average is 18 months)? Was
there higher mortality for females than males in Bangladesh? Was there higher mortality in the
control area as compared to the treatment area?
Note that there is a very high population density in Bangladesh.
Note C.
The following are the codes for the cause of death variable mo_cause:
001 - Cholera (proven)
010 - Acute watery diarrhea, (any other)
012 - Shigellosis (proven)
013 - Acute dysentery, with blood in stools
014 - Acute non-watery diarrhea with mucus, no blood in stools
016 - Persistent diarrhea w/ blood w/out obvious malnutrition
017 - Persistent diarrhea, no blood, no obvious malnutrition
107
019 - Persistent diarrhea or dysentery with malnutrition
020 - Pulmonary TB
033 - Diphtheria
034 - Whooping cough (pertussis)
036 - Meningitis
037 - Tetanus (except neonatal and post-partum)
038 - Septicemia 83
040 - Acute Polio
042 - Measles (death within rash period)
043 - Post Measles pneumonia (<60 days)
044 - Post Measles dysentery (<60 days)
046 - Viral Hepatitis Acute (initial jaundice period)
047 - Rabies
052 - Malaria
060 - Syphilis
099 - Malignant neoplasm of digestive organs
109 - Malignant neoplasm of respiratory organs
113 - Malignant neoplasm of female breast
122 - Malignant neoplasm of uterus
139 - Malignant neoplasm of other & unspecified sites
141 - Leukemia
181 - Diabetes mellitus
190 - Marasmus-kwashiorkor (complication of)
191 - Severe malnutrition associated with chronic diarrhea
192 - Marasmus due to lack of breast feeding
193 - Marasmus due to insufficient food intake, and no obvious infection
194 - Marasmus due to other chronic infection (non-diarrhea)
195 - Death associated with nutritional blindness
213 - Psychoses
217 - Physiological malnutrition arising from mental factors
218 - Mental retardation (including due to birth trauma)
251 - Rheumatic Heart Disease
270 - Acute Myocardial infraction
293 - Acute but ill-defined cardiovascular disease (stroke, etc.)
294 - Complication of the above
321 - Pneumonia, ALRI
323 - Chronic Bronchitis w/emphysema, asthma (complication of)
325 - Pneumonia with diarrhea
328 - Pneumonia, ALRI, as a complication of severe malnutrition
341 - Peptic ulcer (complication of)
342 - Appendicitis, peritonitis
344 - Intestinal obstruction
347 - Chronic Liver disease and cirrhosis (>1 month)
350 - Nephritis, Nephrotic syndrome
371 - GUT infection, unrelated to pregnancy, salpingitis
380 - Spontaneous Abortion, miscarriage, DOC
382 - Induced Abortion, DOC
390 - Hemorrhage of pregnancy, DOC
391 - Toxemia, eclampsia
392 - Infections in pregnancy (G.U Tract)
393 - Obstructed labor, prolonged labor
108
394 - Other complication of pregnancy
395 - Hemorrhage of the puerperium (immediate;<12 hours after birth)
396 - Haemorrhage of the puerperium (delayed;>12 hours after birth)
397 - Post-partum sepsis
398 - Post-partum Tetanus
399 - Other complication of post-partum
420 - Infections of skin and sub cutaneous tissue, CRN
449 - All congenital anomalies, CRN
450 - Sudden infant death, CRN 83
451 - Obstetric complication of new born (Necrologic),CRN
452 - Immaturity, small-for-date (including due to twin birth), CRN
453 - Birth trauma, cord haemorrhage, CRN
454 - Hypoxia, birth asphyxia, CRN
456 - N.N. tetanus, CRN
457 - Other NN infections, CRN
458 – Prematurity (direct complication of), CRN
459 - Unspecified Neonatal death, CRN
460 - F.U.O., fever of unknown origin
461 - Oedemas + Ascitis of unspecified origin
468 - Anaphylaxis, Allergy
540 - Complication of medical care by official Health practitioners
541 - Complication of medical care by traditional Health practitioners
542 - Complication of surgical care by official Health practitioners
543 - Complication of surgical care by traditional Health practitioners
550 - Transport accident
551 - Accidental injuries (not including due to epilepsy)
552 - Burns + complication of extended burns
553 - Drowning
554 - Snake bite
555 - Homicide by violence
556 - Homicide by poisoning
557 - Suicide by poisoning
558 - Suicide by hanging
559 - Other injuries, accidental suffocation or violent death, electric shock, lightning
560 - Accidental falls due to epilepsy
990 - Other cause (specified but rare)
991 - Senility (old age death without any specific disease)
998 - Impossible to specify
999 - Unreported or unknown
Please also note that m0_cause has some values with unknown labels. Please contact RAND for
more information about these values (contact information listed at the end of the technical
report.
Note D.
Note D, Panel E3.3. Variables par06_m and par06_f have values with unknown labels and may
be considered as miscoded values. Please contact RAND for more information about these
variables (contact information listed at the end of the technical report).
109
Noted D, Panel E3.3. Variables par04_f and par04_m should not have values less than 10 or
greater than 120: please contact RAND for more information about these variables (contact
information listed at the end of the technical report).
Note D, Panel E5.1. The variable gh06 has value with unknown labels and may be considered as
miscoded values. Please contact RAND for more information about these variables (contact
information listed at the end of the technical report).
Technical report found at
http://www.rand.org/contect/dam/rand/pubs/drafts/2007/DRU2018.4.pdf
110
Appendix F: China-CHNS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the China-CHNS survey that were
used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the China data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table F1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a5
Relationship to the head of this household.
00-head of household
01-spouse
02-father/mother
03-son/daughter
04-brother/sister
05-
grandson/granddaughter
/grandson-in-
law/granddaughter-in-
law
06-mother-in-
law/father-in-law
07-son-in-law/daughter-
in-law
08-other relative
09-maid
10-other non-relative
hhid00_china
Household ID.
line
Line number of household member.
t1
Province.
21-Liaoning
23-Heilongjiang
32-Jiangsu
37-Shandong
41-Henan
42-Hubei
43-Hunan
45-Guangxi
52-Guizhou
t2
1=urban site 2=rural site
1-Urban site
2-Rural site
wave
Survey year.
111
Table F2. Demographics
Panel F2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a8
What is your marital status?
1-never married
2-married
3-divorced
4-widowed
5-separated
6-unknown
9-missing
gender
Gender.
1-male
2-female
west_dob
Date of birth.
(day, month, year)
Panel F2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a18
Is this a “five-guarantee household”? (Are you
“Wubaohu”?)
1-yes
0-no
a19
Are you a national minority?
1-yes
0-no
a21
Where is your “old home”?
(see note B)
a26
Is your spouse a national minority?
1-yes
0-no
a27
Where is his/her “old home”?
(see note B)
Panel F2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a11
How many years of formal education have you
completed in a regular school?
00-no school completed
11-1 year primary school
12-2 years primary school
13-3 years primary school
14-4 years primary school
15-5 years primary school
16-6 years primary school
21-1 year lower middle
22-2 years lower middle
23-3 years lower middle
24-1 year1 upper middle
25-2 years upper middle
26-3 years upper middle
27-1 year technical school
28-2 years technical
school
31-1 year
college/university
32-2 years
college/university
33-3 years
college/university
34-4 years
college/university
35-5 years
112
college/university
36-6 years
college/university or
more
-9-unknown
a12
What is the highest level of education you have
attained?
0- < 5 years of
formal education
1-graduated from
primary school
2-lower middle school
degree
3-upper middle school
degree
4-technical or vocational
degree
5-university or college
6-master’s degree or
higher
hhexpense_cpi
Household expenses inflated to 2006.
hhinc_cpi
Total household income inflated to 2006.
hhinc_pc
Per capita household income.
hhincgross_cpi
Gross household income inflated to 2006.
hhincpc_cpi
Per capita household income inflated to 2006.
index_new
Inflation index to 2006.
index_old
Deflation index to 1988.
l1
How does your household obtain drinking water?
(If more than one method, record the most
important.) If using the fourth method (other
place), continue with the next question.
Otherwise, skip to Question 3.
1-in-house tap water
2-in-yard tap water
3-in-yard well
4-other place
l100
Does your household or any household member
own any of the electrical appliances and other
goods listed on the left? Black/white television.
1-yes
0-no
l105
Does your household or any household member
own any of the electrical appliances and other
goods listed on the left? Color television.
1-yes
0-no
l110
Does your household or any household member
own any of the electrical appliances and other
goods listed on the left? Washing machine.
1-yes
0-no
l115
Does your household or any household member
own any of the electrical appliances and other
goods listed on the left? Refrigerator.
1-yes
0-no
9-missing
l140f
Does your household or any household member
own any of the electrical appliances and other
goods listed on the left? Telephone.
1-yes
0-no
l31
Does your household own any of the
transportation means listed in the left column?
Automobile.
1-yes
0-no
l5
What kind of toilet facilities does your household
have?
0-no bathroom
1-flush, in-house
2-no flush, in-house
113
3-flush, outside house,
public restroom
4-no flush, outside house,
public restroom
5-cement open pit
6-earth open pit
8-other (specify)
9-missing
l8 (recoded
from l8_1)
What kind of fuel does your household generally
use for cooking? If more than two kinds, record
the two most often used. If only one kind, add 0.
1-coal
2-electricity
3-kerosene
4-liquified natural gas
5-natural gas
6-wood, sticks/straw, etc.
7-charcoal
8-other (specify)
9-missing
Panel F2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
s122
In total, how many children have you given birth to
in your life?
(number)
Note: variable does not
have any observations.
s47
How many children have died?
(number)
t6
Number of household members.
a23
Are your parents still alive?
1-yes
0-no (note: variable
does not have any
observations))
a29
Are your spouse’s parents still alive?
1-yes
0-no (note: variable
does not have any
observations))
Table F3. Early Life Conditions (see note A)
Panel F3.1. Birthplace and Timing of Birth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a16
Have you always lived here?
1-yesskip to question 3
(a18)
0-no
a17
For how many years did you live elsewhere?
(years)
a20
Where were you born?
(province, region, city)
(see note B)
west_dob
Date of birth.
(day, month, year)
Panel F3.2. Childhood Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
height (u3)
Height.
(centimeters)
u10
Waist circumference.
(centimeters)
u9
Hip circumference.
(centimeters)
Table F4. Adult Lifestyle (see note A)
114
Panel F4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
u25
Have you ever smoked cigarettes (including hand-rolled
or device-rolled)?
0-never smoked
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u27
Do you still smoke cigarettes now?
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
Panel F4.2. Adult Exercise (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
u140
Do you spend time on light or very light physical
activities during the work day in a week (e.g. sedentary
job, job requiring some standing and sitting, office
work, watch smith, college student, counter sales
person, lab technician)?
(minutes?)
00-no
-9-don’t know or refuse
to answer
u141
Do you spend time on moderate physical activities
during the work day in a week (e.g. driver, electrician)?
(minutes?)
00-no
-9-don’t know or refuse
to answer
u142
Do you spend time on heavy or very heavy physical
activities during the work day in a week (e.g. farmer,
athlete, dancer, steel worker, lumber worker, mason,
etc.)?
(minutes?)
00-no
-9-don’t know or refuse
to answer
Panel F4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
u40
During the past year, have you drank beer or any other
alcohol beverage?
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
Panel F4.4. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
m47
Within the last month, did you receive any preventive
health service (for example, a health examination, eye
examination, well-child examination, blood test, blood
pressure screening, tumor screening, etc.)? If “no” or
“unknown,” stop here, and go to the next person. If
“yes,” continue with the next question.
0-no
1-yes
9-unknown
m48
What service did you receive? If more than one type,
choose the one that had the highest cost.
1-general physical
examination
2-well-child
examination
3-blood test
4-blood pressure
screening
5-tumor screening
6-gynecological
examination
115
7-vision or hearing
examination
8-other examination
9-unknown
10- undocumented code
(contact CHNS survey
team for code)
-9- not available
m40a
Did you visit a folk doctor last year?
0-no
1-yes
9-unkwown
Table F5. Adult Health Outcomes
Panel F5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
u48a
Right now, how would you describe your health
compared to that of other people of your age?
1-excellent
2-good
3-fair
4-poor
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
Panel F5.2. Anthropometric Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
weight
(u2)
Weight.
(kilograms)
systol1
(u4_1)
Systolic blood pressure (for persons age 7 and older
only).
(mmHg)
diastol1
(u4_2)
Diastolic blood pressure (for persons age 7 and older
only).
(mmHg)
systol2
(u5_1)
Systolic blood pressure (for persons age 7 and older
only).
(mmHg)
diastol2
(u5_2)
Diastolic blood pressure (for persons age 7 and older
only).
(mmHg)
systol3
(u6_1)
Systolic blood pressure (for persons age 7 and older
only).
(mmHg)
diastol3
(u6_2)
Diastolic blood pressure (for persons age 7 and older
only).
(mmHg)
Panel F5.3. Functionality (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
u157
Do you have any difficulty running a kilometer?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u158
Do you have any difficulty walking a kilometer?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
116
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u159
Do you have any difficulty walking for 200 meters?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u160
Do you have any difficulty walking across a room?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u161
Do you have any difficulty sitting continuously for 2
hours?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u162
Do you have any difficulty standing up after sitting for a
long time?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u163
Do you have any difficulty climbing one staircase?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u164
Do you have any difficulty climbing a few stairs without
stopping?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u165
Do you have any difficulty lifting or raising a 5-kg bag,
such as a bag of flour, rice or other miscellaneous items?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
117
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u166
Do you have any difficulty squatting down, kneeling
down, or bending over?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u167
Do you have any difficulty bathing yourself?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u169
Do you have any difficulty eating by yourself?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u171
Do you have any difficulty putting on your clothes?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u172
Do you have any difficulty combing your hair?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u173
Do you have any difficulty using the toilet?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-cannot do it at all
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u174
Does your health condition or physical strength make it
difficult for you to do shopping (e.g. buying food, clothes,
etc.) without others’ help?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-Cannot do it at all
u175
Does your health condition or physical strength make it
difficult for you to cook without others’ help?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
118
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-Cannot do it at all
u176
Does your health condition or physical strength make it
difficult for you to use public transportation to go places
where it is too far to walk?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-Cannot do it at all
u177
Does your health condition or physical strength make it
difficult for you to manage your money (e.g., record your
income and expenses) without others’ help?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-Cannot do it at all
u178
Does your health condition or physical strength make it
difficult for you to use the telephone without others’
help?
1-no difficulty
2-have some difficulty
but can do it
3-need help to do it
4-Cannot do it at all
Panel F5.4. Chronic Conditions (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
m23
During the past 4 weeks, have you been sick or injured?
Have you suffered from a chronic or acute disease?
0-no
1-yes
9-unknown
m40
What was the doctor’s diagnosis of your illness or injury?
(c0des)
-9-missing
u22
Has a doctor ever told you that you suffer from high
blood pressure?
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u23
For how many years have you had it?
(years)
-9-don’t know or
refuse to answer
u24
Are you currently taking anti-hypertension drugs?
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24a
Has the doctor ever told you that you suffer from
diabetes?
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24b
How old were you when the doctor told you about such a
situation?
(years)
-9-don’t know or
refuse to answer
u24c
Did you use any of the following treatment methods?
Special diet.
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24d
Did you use any of the following treatment methods?
Weight control.
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
119
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The Carolina Population Center, National Institute of
Nutrition and Food Safety, & Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. China Health
and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). ICPSR176. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina
[distributor], accessed 2010-02-11. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/china/data.
Notes:
The China-CHNS working manual is not publicly accessible. See the China-CHNS website for
detailed information.
u24e
Did you use any of the following treatment methods?
Oral medicine.
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24f
Did you use any of the following treatment methods?
Injection of insulin.
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24g
Did you use any of the following treatment methods?
Chinese traditional medicine.
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24h
Did you use any of the following treatment methods?
Home remedies.
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24i
Did you use any of the following treatment methods? Qi
Gong (or other method).
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24j
Has the doctor ever given you the diagnosis of
myocardial infarction?
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24l
Has the doctor ever given you the diagnosis of apoplexy?
0-no
1-yes
8-refuse to answer
9-don’t know
u24m
How old were you when you suffered from apoplexy?
(years—if more than
once, please give most
recent one)
-9-don’t know or
refuse to answer
Panel F5.5. Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dod
Date of death.
(yyyymmdd)
dod_rpt
Survey year death first reported.
t7_00
Interview dates.
t7_06
Interview dates.
120
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Panel F2.2. Variables a21 and a27 do not have specified value labels for the province,
region, or city available and so birthplace could not be ascertained from this data.
Note A, Panel F2.3. All of the income variables have been calculated by the survey staff. These
include: income from wages, home gardening income, household farms’ income, raising
livestock or poultry income, collective household and fishing income, small handicraft and small
commercial household business income, and income from other sources. There are also
additional questions regarding drinking water, environmental sanitation, and household assets
including l1-l18. There are several other questions available for household assets from l90-
l140g.
Note A, Table F3. Questions a16-a27 were only asked of the head of the household.
Note A, Table F3.1. There is also a variable on father’s birthplace available. However, variable
a20 for respondent’s birthplace does not have specified value labels for the province, region, or
city available and so birthplace could not be ascertained from this data.
Note A, Table F4. In the Community Survey, there is extensive information on household diet.
Note A, Panel F4.1. There are additional smoking questions (u26-u33) in terms of frequency,
how old the respondent was when they began smoking, and use of pipe tobacco.
Note A, Panel F4.2. There are additional variables for physical activities including u143-u156.
Note A, Panel F5.2. In the Physical Examination, there are additional measures including upper
arm circumference and triceps skin fold. They also describe other conditions such as loss of
vision. Furthermore, there are cognitive questions included (variables u179-u192).
In some cases in China-CHNS, the variable listed in the questionnaire is different from the data
set. For example, the variable u2 in the questionnaire is renamed as weight in the data set.
Note A, Panel F5.3. Variables u48 and u49 in the Physical Examination ask about difficulty in
carrying out normal daily activities due to illness.
Note A, Panel F5.4. Variable m40 does not have specified value labels for the illness or injury
available and so recent injuries/illnesses could not be ascertained from this data.
NOTE B.
Responses for variables a21 and a27 are as follows:
11-Beijing
12-Tianjin
13-Hebei
14-Shanxi
15-Inner Mongolia
21-Liaoning
22-Jilin
23-Heilongjiang
31-Shanghai
32-Jiangsu
33-Zhejiang
34-Anhui
35-Fujian
36-Jiangxi
37-Shandong
41-Henan
42-Hubei
43-Hunan
44-Guangdong
45-Guangxi
46-Hainan
121
51-Sichuan
52-Guizhou
53-Yunnan
54-Tibet
55-Chongqing
61-Shaanxi
62-Gansu
63-Qinghai
64-Ningxia
65-Xinjiang
122
Appendix G: China-CLHLS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the China-CLHLS survey that were
used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the China data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table G1. Respondent (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d5respon
Who answered the questionnaire?
-9-loss to follow-up in 2005
survey
-7-deceased persons only, not
applicable
0-parent
1-spouse
2-child
3-spouse of a child
4-grandchild or spouse of
grandchild
5-relative
6-neighbor
7-social worker
8-other
9-missing
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivor
day02
Day of the interview.
99-missing
id
ID number for individual.
month02
prov
Month of the interview.
National code for provinces sampled.
(month)
11-beijing
12-tianjian
13-hebei
14-shanxi
21-liaoning
22-jilin
23-helongjiang
31-shangai
32-jiangus
33-zhejiang
34-anhui
35-fujian
36-jiangxi
37-shangdong
41-henan
42-hubei
43-hunan
123
44-guangdong
45-guangxi
50-chongqing
51-siachuan
61-shaanxi
ra2
Proxy.
0-without proxy
1-with proxy
9-missing
residenc
Category of residence of the interviewee at the
2002 survey.
1-city
2-town
3-rural
type
Category of the interviewee.
1-elder first interviewed in 1998
2-elder first interviewed in
2000
3-elder first interviewed in
2002 to replace those lost to
follow-up or death
4-newly added elder in 2002
5-siblings aged 80+ of 1, 2, 3, 4
w_2002
Weight variable, estimated based on 100%
age-sex-residence-specific distribution
Table G2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel G2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a1
Sex.
1-male
2-female
f41
Current marital status.
1-married and living with
spouse
2-separated
3-divorced
4-widowed
5-never married
trueage
Age confirmed.
Panel G2.2 Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a2
Ethnic group.
1-Han
2-Hui
3-Zhuang
4-Yao
5-Korea
6-Man
7-Mongolia
8-others
9-missing
Panel G2.3. Education, Income and Wealth
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d5
What kind of water do you usually drink?
1-boiled water
2-un-boiled water
9-missing
d6b
(d5: What kind of water do you usually drink?)
1-water from a well
124
Such water was ___ around age 60?
2-water from a river or lake
3-water from a spring
4-water from a pond or pool
5-tap water
8-don’t know
9-missing
d6c
(d5: What kind of water do you usually drink?)
Such water was ___ at present?
1-water from a well
2-water from a river or lake
3-water from a spring
4-water from a pond or pool
5-tap water
9-missing
f1
How many years did you attend school?
(years)
88-don’t know
99-missing
f2
What was your primary occupation before age
60?
0-professional or technical
personnel
1-governmental, institutional or
managerial personnel
2-staff/service
worker/industrial worker
3-self-employer
4-agriculture, forestry, animal
husbandry, fishery
5-housewife
6-military personnel
7-unemployed
8-other, please specify
9-missing
f12a
How much money (including cash and value of
materials) did you get last year from your sons
and their spouses both living and not living
with you?
(Yuan)
-1-not applicable
99999-missing
f12b
How much money (including cash and value of
materials) did you get last year from your
daughters and their spouses both living and
not living with you?
(Yuan)
-1-not applicable
99999-missing
f13a
How much money (including cash and value of
materials) did you give last year to your sons
and their spouses both living and not living
with you?
(Yuan)
-1-missing
99999-missing
f13b
How much money (including cash and value of
materials) did you give last year to your
daughters and their spouses both living and
not living with you?
(Yuan)
-1-not applicable
99999-missing
f22
Which year did you retire?
-1-not applicable
9999-missing
f21
Do you have a pension for retirement?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
f31
What is your primary means of financial
1-retirement wages
125
support?
2-spouse
3-child(ren)
4-grandchild(ren)
5-other relative(s)
6-local government
7-work by self
8-other, please specify
f32
Other financial sources?
(number)
f33
Does all of your financial support sufficiently
pay your daily costs?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
f35
What was the income per capita of your
household last year?
(Yuan, if more than 100,000,
please fill 99998)
99999-missing
Panel G2.4 Family and Household (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a51
Co-residence of interviewee.
1-with household member(s)
2-alone
3-in an institution
a52
How many people are living with you?
(number of persons)
-1-not applicable
a531
Under whose name your current
house/apartment purchased or rented
-1-not applicable
1-self
2-children
3-grandchildren
4-other relatives
5-others
9-missing
f10
How many children, including those who have
died, did you ever born?
(number)
88-don’t know
99-missing
f9
How many biological siblings, including those
who have died, do you have?
(number)
88-don’t know
99-missing
f91
What is your birth order among all your
biological siblings?
(list order)
88-don’t know
99-missing
f92a1
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Birth order.
(list order)
-1-not applicable
88-don’t know
99-missing
f92a2
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Sex.
1-male
2-female
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92a3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
126
f92a4
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Age.
(if alive, fill in the age at
present; if dead, fill in the age of
death)
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
f92b3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92c3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92d3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92e3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92f3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92g3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92h3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92i3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
f92j3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
8-don’t know
9-missing
127
f92k3
Please tell me about your biological brothers
and sisters who live elsewhere or have died, by
birth order. Alive or not.
1-yes, living
2-no, not living
-1-not applicable
9-missing
Table G3. Early Life Conditions
Panel G3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a41
In which province were you born?
(province)
11-bejing
12-tianjian
13-hebei
14-shanxi
15-inner mongolia
21-liaoning
22-jilin
23-helongjiang
31-shangai
32-jiangsu
33-zhejiang
34-anhui
35-fujian
36-jiangxi
37-shangdong
41-henan
42-hubei
43-hunan
44-guangdong
45-guangxi
46-hainan
50-chongqing
51-sichuan
52-guizhou
53-yunnan
61-shaanxi
62-gansu
64-ningxia
71-taiwan
90-north korea
91-south korea
93-indonesia
95-vietnam
96-others
98-don’t know
99-missing
a42
Was the country (city) you were born in the
same as current address?
1-same as current address
2-other city or country
9-missing
a43
Was the place of birth an urban area or rural
area (at time of birth)?
1-urban
2-rural
9-missing
v_bthmon
Validated birth month.
128
v_bthyr
Validated birth year.
Panel G3.2. Childhood Health and Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d6a
(d5: What kind of water do you usually drink?)
Such water was ____ in childhood?
1- from a well
2- from a river or lake
3- from a spring
4 from a pond or pool
5-tap water
8-don’t know
9-missing
f66
Did you frequently go to bed hungry as a child?
1-yes
2-no
8-did not answer (only for the
2002 new-added)
9-missing
g102a
Length from the wrist to the shoulder.
(centimeters)
999-missing
g102b
Length from the right knee to the floor.
(centimeters)
999-missing
Panel G3.3. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
f63
Could you get adequate medical service when
you were sick in childhood?
1-yes
2-no
3-not sick (only for the elderly
from 1998)
8-didn’t answer
9-missing
f84
The main occupation of your father before age
60.
0-professional or technical
personnel
1-governmental, institutional or
managerial personnel
2-staff/service
worker/industrial worker
3-self-employed
4-agriculture, forestry, animal
husbandry, fishery
5-housewife
6-military personnel
7-unemployed
8-other, please specify
9-missing
Table G4. Adult Lifestyle (see note A)
Panel G4.1. Adult Smoking
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d71
Do you smoke at the present time?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
d72
Did you smoke in the past?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
d73
How old were you when you began to smoke?
(age)
129
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
d74
How old were you when you stopped smoking
if you don’t smoke at present?
(age)
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
d75
If you smoke at the present time (or smoked in
the past), how many times per day on average
do (or did) you smoke?
(times)
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
Panel G4.2. Adult Exercise (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d91
Do you do exercises regularly at present?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
d92
Did you do exercises regularly in the past?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
d93
How old were you when you began to do
exercises?
(age)
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
d94
How old were you when you were stopped
doing exercises if you don’t do exercises at
present?
(age)
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
d101
Have you done physical labor regularly?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
d102
If yes, from which age?
(from age)
-1-not applicable
888-missing
999-missing
d103
…to which age?
(to age)
-1-not applicable
888-missing
999-missing
Panel G4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d81
Do you drink alcohol at the present time?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
d82
Did you drink alcohol in the past?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
d83
How old were you when you began to drink
alcohol?
(age)
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
d84
How old were you when you stopped drinking
(age)
130
alcohol if you don’t drink alcohol at present?
-1-not applicable
888-don’t know
999-missing
d85
If you drink alcohol at the present time (or
drank in the past), what kind of alcohol do (or
did) you drink?
1-very strong liquor (>38%)
2-not very strong liquor (<38%)
3-wine
4-rice wine
5-beer
6-others
-1-not applicable
9-missing
d86
If you drink alcohol at the present time (or
drank in the past), how much alcohol per day
on average do (or did) you drink?
(liang)
-1-not applicable
88-don’t know
99-missing
Panel G4.4. Health Care Utilization (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
f5
When you are sick, who usually takes care of
you?
0-spouse
1-son or daughter-in-law
2-daughter and son-in-law
3-son and daughter
4-grandchildren and their
spouses
5-other family members
6-friends
7-social service
8-matron
9-nobody
99-missing
f61
Do you get adequate medical service at
present?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
f62
Could you get adequate medical service when
you were sick at around age 60?
1-yes
2-no
3-not sick (only for the elderly
from 1998 & 2000 waves)
9-missing
8-didn’t answer (only for the
2002 new-added
f64
Mainly who pays for your medical costs?
1-public medical care fund
2-self
3-family and children
4-others (please specify)
9-missing
f65
What’s the primary reason that you didn’t go to
the hospital when it was necessary?
-1-not applicable
1-no money to pay for expenses
2-far away
3-inconvenient in movement
4-nobody with whom to go
5-didn’t want to go
6-other
131
9-missing
Table G5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel G5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
b12
How do you rate your health at present?
1-very good
2-good
3-so so
4-bad
5-very bad
8-not able to answer
h3
The health of the interviewee as rated by the
interviewer
1-surprisingly healthy
2-relatively healthy
3-moderately ill
4-very ill
9-missing
Panel G5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g101
Weight.
(kilograms)
g51
Systolic blood pressure.
(mm mercury)
999-missing
g52
Diastolic blood pressure.
(mm mercury)
999-missing
g3
Can the interviewee use chopsticks to eat?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g81
Can interviewee put hand behind neck?
1-right
2-left
3-both
4-neither
9-missing
g82
Can interviewee put hand behind lower back?
1-right
2-left
3-both
4-neither
9-missing
g83
Can interviewee raise arms upright?
1-left
2-right
3-both
4-neither
9-missing
g9
Can the interviewee stand up from sitting in a
chair?
1-yes, without using hands
2-yes, using hands
3-no
9-missing
g11
Was the interviewee able to pick up a book
from the floor?
1-yes, standing
2-yes, sitting
3-no
9-missing
g12
Was the interviewee able to turn around 360
degrees without help? If yes, please count the
number of steps required to finish the turn.
(steps)
88-no
99-missing
132
Panel G5.3. Functionality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
e1
Bathing-either sponge bath, tub bath, shower
or washing the body.
1-receives no assistance
2-receives some assistance with
one part of the body
3-receives assistance with more
than one part of the body
9-missing
e2
Dressing-gets clothes from closets and
drawers—including underwear, outer garments
and fasteners (including suspenders, if worn)
1-gets clothes and gets
completely dressed without
assistance
2-gets clothes and gets
assistance without assistance
except for tying shoes
3- receives assistance in
getting clothes or in getting
dressed, or stays partly or
completely undressed
9-missing
e3
Toilet-going to the toilet; cleaning oneself
afterwards.
1-goes to the toilet, cleans self,
and arranges clothes without
assistance
2-receives assistance in going to
toilet or in cleaning self
afterwards or in use of bedpan
3- doesn’t use toilet
e4
Transfer.
1-gets in and out of bed as well
as in and out of a chair without
assistance
2- gets in and out of bed or
chair w/ assistance
3-bedridden
e5
Continence.
1-has complete control of
urination and bowel movement
without assistance
2-has occasional accidents
3-supervision helps keep urine
or bowel control; catheter used
or elder incontinent
9-missing
e6
Feeding.
1-feeds self without assistance
2-feeds self w/ some help
3-receives assistance in feeding
or is fed partly or completely
intravenously
9-missing
e7
Can you visit your neighbors by yourself?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
e8
Can you go shopping by yourself?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
133
3-no, can’t
e9
Can you cook a meal by yourself whenever
necessary?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
9-missing
e10
Can you wash clothing by yourself whenever
necessary?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
e11
Can you walk continuously for 1 kilometer at a
time by yourself?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
9-missing
e12
Can you lift a weight of 5kg, such as a heavy
bag of groceries?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
e13
Can you continuously crouch and stand up 3
times?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
e14
Can you take public transport by yourself?
1-yes, independently
2-yes, needs some help
3-no, can’t
9-missing
Panel G5.4. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g15a2
Are you suffering from hypertension?
Diagnosed by hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g15b2
Are you suffering from diabetes? Diagnosed by
hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g15c2
Are you suffering from heart disease?
Diagnosed by hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g15d2
Are you suffering from stroke, cerebrovascular
disease? Diagnosed by hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g15e2
Are you suffering from bronchitis, emphysema,
asthma, pneumonia? Diagnosed by hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g15f2
Are you suffering from pulmonary
tuberculosis? Diagnosed by hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g15i2
Are you suffering from cancer? Diagnosed by
hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
g15n2
Are you suffering from arthritis? Diagnosed by
hospital?
1-yes
2-no
9-missing
Panel G5.5. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d5bedday
Days being bedridden before dying.
(days)
134
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
-8888-do not know
-9999-missing
d5bedrid
Bedridden or not before dying.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-no
2-yes
9-missing
d5cargiv
Primary caregiver before dying.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-spouse
2-children and their spouses
3-grandchildren and their
spouses
4-other family members
5-friends
6-social workers
7-nurse
8-nobody to take care
9-no need to take care
99-missing
d5cause
Main cause of death.
(cause- please contact CLHLS
survey team for codes)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
-88-do not know
-99-missing
d5diday3
Days suffering from such disease at the last
time.
(days)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
-1-not applicable
-9999-missing
d5disea3
Name of disease suffering from at the last time.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
-1-not applicable
1-hypertension
2-diabetes
3-heart disease
135
4-stroke, CVD
5-bronchitis, emphysema,
asthma, pneumonia
6-pulmonary tuberculosis
7-cancer
8-cataract or glaucoma
9-prostrate tumor
10-gynecological disease
11-gastric or duodenal ulcer
12-parkinson’s disease
13-bedsore
14-dementia
15-psychosis
16-neurosis
17-arthritis
18-other
-88-don’t know
-99-missing
d5doctor
If the deceased elder lived in rural, was there a
doctor in the village?
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
-1-not applicable
1-no
2-yes
9-missing
d5dplace
Place of death.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-home
2-hospital
3-institution
4-others
9-missing
d5financ
Main financial source before dying.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-retirement wage
2-spouse
3-children
4-grandchildren
5-other relatives
6-local government or
community
7-own work
8-others
9-missing
d5gener
Number of generations living in the household
when the elderly died.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
136
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-one generation
2-two generations
3-three generations
4-four or more generations
9-missing
d5ill
Number of times suffering from serious illness.
(number)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
-88-do not know
-99-missing
d5income
Yearly per capita income of the family of the
deceased elder.
(income)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
99999-missing
d5licdoc
Did the village doctor have a license?
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
-1-not applicable
1-licensed with college degree
2-licensed without college
degree
3-unlicensed
9-missing
d5livarr
Primary living arrangement of the deceased
elder in the last year of life.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-institution
2-alone due to never married
3-alone due to widowed or
divorced
4-with spouse only
5-with married children and
grandchildren
6-with grandchildren only
7-with unmarried children and
offspring
8-other relatives
9-others
99-missing
d5marry
Marital status of the deceased elder at death.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
137
1-married living with spouse
2-married but not living with
spouse
3-divorced
4-spouse dead
5-never married
9-missing
d5medica
Got timely medication before dying.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-yes
2-no
3-was not sick
9-missing
d5person
Number of people who are living with the
respondent before dying.
(number)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
99-missing
d5resid
Place of residence at death.
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
1-city
2-town
3-rural
d5sex
Sex of the deceased person.
1-male
2-female
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
d5vday
Validated day of death of the sampled person.
(day)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
99-missing
d5vmonth
Validated month of death of the sampled
person.
(month)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
99-missing
d5vyear
Validated year of death of the sampled person.
(year)
-9-lost to follow-up in the 2005
survey
-7-the deceased persons only,
not applicable to survivors
138
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Yi, Z.,
Vaupel, J.W., Zhenyu, X., Yuzi, L., & Chunyuan, Z. Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity
Survey (CLHLS), 1998-2005. ICPSR24901-v2. Center for the Study of Aging and Human
Development: Duke University. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and
Social Research [distributor], accessed 2009-06-19.
http://centerforaging.duke.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115&Itemid
=152, http://centerforaging.duke.edu/survey-datasets.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table G1. Section H includes questions for the interviewer.
Note A, Table G2. There is more information about the household members in section A of the
questionnaire. There are also several other questions regarding siblings included in section F.
Note A, Panel G2.4. There are questions (f7 and f8) regarding parental death (how old was the
respondent and how old their parents were when they died).
Note A, Table G4. There are questions on diet in Section D (D1-D6).
Note A, Panel G4.2. There are additional variables for physical activities including u143-u156.
Note A, Panel G4.4. It is unclear whether f65 is to visit the doctor or to visit the hospital.
Note A, Table G5. Section B of the questionnaire contains other variables on life evaluation and
personality. All of the chronic conditions have an additional question for self-reported illness
(e.g., g15a1). This is a way to determine the degree to which these self-reports are
underreported. Also associated with these questions are additional questions rating the
disability in daily life that can correspond with the functionality questions. There are many
questions about the deceased respondent in the section with variables starting with d5.
Note A, Panel G5.2. Section C of the questionnaire contains information on a mini mental
examination (a cognitive test). There are additional questions (g6 and g7) that ask about the
rhythm of the heart and heart rate.
9999-missing
139
Appendix H: Costa Rica-CRELES original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Bangladesh-MHSS survey that
were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the Bangladesh data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table H1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
am3
Interviewer: Is the interviewee…
1-able to respond to the
questionnaire
2-has serious
communication problems
(needs proxy)
am5
Of all the people who live here, who is the head
(“boss” or “in charge”) of the home? Note number of
the person in the register.
(number)
idsujeto
Respondent ID.
ponderador
Sampling weight.
proxy
Proxy used?
0-no
1-yes
URBAN
Living in urban area now.
0-no
1-yes
Table H2. Demographics
Panel H2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a3
What is your current marital status?
1-civil union
2-married
3-widow/er from civil union
4-widow/er from marriage
5-divorced
6-separated from civil
union
7-separated from marriage
8-never married or in union
9-dk/nr
age
How old is ____?
(note age)
id4
What is the interviewee’s sex?
1-male
2-female
Panel H2.2. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a1
Are you able to read and write a message?
1-yes
2-no
9-ns/nr
a2a
What was the last level and grade of your formal
0-none
140
education that you completed?
1-elementary
2-secondary, academic
3-secondary, technical
4-para-university
5-higher education
9-ns/nr
a2b
What was the last level and grade of your formal
education that you completed?
(years of study (grade))
am12
Do you receive a pension from social security or from
the government?
1-yes
2-no
9-ns/ns
am13
How many pensions do you receive?
(number of pensions)
h20
During the last year, what has been your total monthly
income?
(income)
0-none
999-dk/nr
h21
Then would you say your monthly income is: More
than 170 thousand colones?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
h22
Then would you say your monthly income is: More
than 80 thousand colones?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
h23
Then would you say your monthly income is: More
than 250 thousand colones?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
h24
During the last 12 months, what has been the total
monthly income of your spouse?
(income)
0-none
999-dk/nr
h25
Then would you say your spouse’s monthly income is:
More than 170 thousand colones?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
h26
Then would you say your spouse’s monthly income is:
More than 80 thousand colones?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
h27
Then would you say your spouse’s monthly income is:
More than 250 thousand colones?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j18
Does this house have a room just for cooking?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j19
What is the fuel most often used for cooking?
1-electricity
2-wood or charcoal
3-gas
4-other
5-none (doesn’t cook)
9-dk/nr
j20
Does this house have: Refrigerator?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j21
Does this house have: Landline telephone?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
141
j23
Does this house have: Washing machine?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j24
Does this house have: Microwave?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j25
Does this house have: Computer?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j26
Does this house have: Potable water within the house?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j27
Does this house have: Toilet within the house?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
j28
Does this house have: Television?
0-no
1-one
2-two
3-three or more
9-dk/nr
j29
Does this house have: Car?
0-no
1-one
2-two
3-three or more
9-dk/nr
j30
Interviewer, evaluate the state of: Exterior walls.
1-poor
2-fair
3-good
9-not able to evaluate
j31
Interviewer, evaluate the state of: Roof.
1-poor
2-fair
3-good
9-not able to evaluate
j32
Interviewer, evaluate the state of: Floor.
1-poor
2-fair
3-good
9-not able to evaluate
Panel H2.3. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a16
Is your biological mother still living?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
a17
How old is your mother/how old was she when she
died?
(age)
999-dk/nr
am4
How many people live in this home?
(number)
am6
am7
Now I will ask you about your children. How many live-
born children did you have?
In all, how many children are still alive?
(number)
0-none
99-dk/nr
(number)
0-none
99-NS/NR
142
am8
How many grandchildren do you have?
(number of grandchildren)
98-98 or more
grandchildren
99-dk/nr
Table H3. Early Life Conditions
Panel H3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a22a
In which canton were you born?
1-in this canton
2-other canton
3-Nicaragua
4-other country
9-dk/nr
a22b
Which [other canton]?
(list)
a23
How many years did you live in the place of your
birth?
(number of years)
97-all his/her life
99-dk/nr
a24a
Where did you live most of your life?
1-in Costa Rica, in this
canton
2-other canton of Costa
Rica
3-other
4-Nicaragua
9-dk/nr
a24b
Where did you live most of your life? Which other
canton of Costa Rica.
(list)
a25
How many years have you been living here?
(years)
99-dk/nr
a26a
Where were you living in 1984?
1-in Costa Rica, in this
canton
2-other canton of Costa
Rica
3-in another country
a27a
Where were you living in 1973?
1-in Costa Rica, in this
canton
2-other canton of Costa
Rica
3-in another country
9-dk/nr
id2b
On what day, month and year were you born?
(month)
99-missing (possible
miscode)
id2c
On what day, month and year were you born?
(year)
0-possible miscode
9999-dk/nr
id3
How old are you?
(years)
999-dk/nr
pc
gam
Combines code for province and canton.
Is respondent living in the greater San Jose
metropolitan area?
1- Yes
0- No
143
extranjero
gamofbirth
foreigner
Was the respondent born in the greater San Jose
metropolitan area?
1- Yes
0- No
1- Yes
0- No
Panel H3.2. Childhood Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a18
What is (was) the level of education of your mother?
1-none
2-elementary
3-secondary
4-higher education
9-dk/nr
in2
How was your health for the majority of your
childhood and adolescence?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-poor
9-dk/nr
in3
Did you have tuberculosis when you were a child or
adolescent?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in4
Did you have rheumatic fever when you were a child
or adolescent?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in5
Did you have poliomyelitis when you were a child or
adolescent?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in6
Did you have malaria when you were a child or
adolescent?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in7
Did you have asthma or chronic bronchitis when you
were a child or adolescent?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in8
During the first 15 years of your life, did your home
have a bathroom or latrine?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in9
During the first 15 years of your life, did you wear
shoes regularly?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
Panel H3.3. Childhood Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c48a
Is there someone in your family who has or had
diabetes? A parent?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
c48b
Is there someone in your family who has or had
diabetes? A sibling?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
c48c
Is there someone in your family who has or had
diabetes? A grandparent?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
ev17
What is your current height?
(height in centimeters)
144
999-dk/nr
k4b
Height.
height (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k4c
Height.
height (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k5b
Height of the knee.
height (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k5c
Height of the knee.
height (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k6b
Circumference of the waist.
circumference (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k6c
Circumference of the waist.
circumference (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k7b
Circumference of the hip.
circumference (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k7c
Circumference of the hip.
circumference (mm)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
Panel H3.4. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
in1
During the first 15 years of your life, did your family
have problems or economic hardships that did not
allow you to eat regularly, dress adequately or get
necessary medical care?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in10
During the first 15 years of your life, did your home
have electricity?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
in11
During the first 15 years of your life, where did you
sleep?
1-on the floor
2-on a bed alone
3-on a shared bed
4-other
9-dk/nr
in12
During the first 15 years of your life, did you live
with your biological father?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
145
Table H4. Adult Lifestyle (see note A)
Panel H4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ev8
Have you smoked more than 100 cigarettes or cigars in
your life?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
ev10
Do you smoke now?
1-yes
2-no
Panel H4.2. Adult Exercise
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ev14
In the last 12 months, did you exercise regularly or do
other physically rigorous activities like sports, jogging,
dancing, or heavy work, three times a week?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
Panel H4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ev1
Have you ever drank alcoholic drinks on a regular
basis?
1-drinks occasionally
2-drinks daily
3-drinks only on special
occasions
4-does not currently drink
but drank in the past
5-have never drunk
9-dk/nr
Panel H4.4. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
f1
In the last 12 months, has someone from the EBAIS
health team visited you?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
f10
How many appointments or health care visits with a
doctor did you have in the last 3 months?
0-none
(number)
99-dk/nr
f15
When was the most recent doctor’s appointment?
1-less than one month
2-from one to three months
3-from four to six months
4-from seven to eleven
months
5-from one year to less than
two years
6-from two to four years
7-five or more years
9-dk/nr
f16
Who attended to you in your last visit?
1-doctor
2-nurse
3-pharmacist
4-other professional
5-other practitioner
9-dk/nr
f18a
How long does it take you to get from your home to the
place of the office visit?
(hours)
99-NS/NR
f18b
How long does it take you to get from your home to the
(minutes)
146
place of the office visit?
99-NS/NR
Table H5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel H5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c1
How would you say your health is now: Excellent,
Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
9-dk/nr
c2
How would you say your health is in comparison
with other people of your age? Better, equal, worse?
1-better
2-equal
3-worse
9-dk/nr
c3
(Show card.) Now we are going to use a card from
which you can choose a number from 1 to 7 to
evaluate your state of health, wherein 7 signifies
excellent health and 1 poor health. Please choose a
number which best describes your state of health.
(number)
1-poor health
7-excellent health
9-dk/nr
Panel H5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
k3b
Weight (in lbs.).
weight (decimal)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
k3c
Weight (in lbs.).
weight (decimal)
996-refused
997-attempted but unable
998-not attempted
ev15a
What is your current weight?
(weight in kilograms)
999-dk/nr
ev15b
What is your current weight?
(weight in pounds)
999-dk/nr
c138a
Now, if you will allow me I will check your
blood pressure from your arm.
(systolic)
999/999-unable to measure
c138b
Now, if you will allow me I will check your
blood pressure from your arm.
(diastolic)
999/999-unable to measure
h28a
Now, if you will allow me I would like to take
your blood pressure.
(first reading)
999/999-unable to be taken
h28b
Now, if you will allow me I would like to take
your blood pressure.
(second reading)
999/999-unable to be taken
k13 (a-c)
Have the interviewee sit for at least 3
minutes before the first measurement, on
the dominant arm, then wait for another
three minutes before the second
measurement on the same arm. (see labels
for k13 variants below)
95-tried but unable
96-not attempted for safety
97-interviewee disabled
98-refused to do it
k13a
Dynamometer (kgs).
(right hand)
k13b
Dynamometer (kgs).
(right hand, whole)
k13c
Dynamometer (kgs).
(right hand, decimal)
147
k14 (a-c)
Second time. (see labels for k13 variants
below)
95-tried but unable
96-not attempted for safety
97-interviewee disabled
98-refused to do it
k14a
Dynamometer (kgs).
(left hand)
k14b
Dynamometer (kgs).
(left hand, whole)
k14c
Dynamometer (kgs).
(left hand, decimal)
k15
Hand strength (dynamometer, kgs). Note
which hand was used.
(whole, decimal)
k16 (a-c)
Spirometry. Preferably, this test should be
conducted while standing. This test
measures how fast you are able to exhale the
air in your lungs. It is important that you
blow as strong and fast as you can; we will
do it three times. (see labels for k16 variants
below)
(first reading, L/min)
(second reading, L/min)
(third reading, L/min)
999-unable to complete
k16a
Spirometry.
(first reading)
k16b
Spirometry.
(second reading)
k16c
Spirometry.
(third reading)
l1
Do you have any problems that would impair
you from doing a mobility and flexibility
test?
1-yes
2-no
l2 (a-c)
Please stand with your feet together for ten
seconds, keeping your eyes open. Stay in
that position until I ask you to move. (see
labels for l2 variants below)
95-tried, but unable
96-not attempted for safety
98-refused to do it
(duration of exercise in seconds)
(duration of exercise in hundredths)
l2a
Stand up.
l2b
Stand up.
(seconds)
l2c
Stand up.
(hundredths)
l3 (a-c)
While keeping your arms crossed on your
chest, please stand up as quickly as you can,
five times without stopping. Inform the
interviewee when to start. If she/he is
unable to do it in less than 30 seconds, do
not allow him/her to continue and note the
number of attempts. (see labels for l3
variants below)
95-tried, but unable
96-not attempted for safety
98-refused to do it
(number of attempts)
(duration of exercise in seconds)
(duration of exercise in hundredths)
(height of chair in centimeters)
l3a
Stand up with arms folded.
l3b
Stand up with arms folded.
(seconds)
l3c
Stand up with arms folded.
(hundredths)
l3d
Chair height.
(height)
l3e
Number of attempts.
(number)
l5 (a-c)
Bending over and picking up a pencil. From
a standing position, please bend over and
pick up a pencil and straighten yourself up.
Interviewer: Put the pencil on the floor in
front of the interviewee and let them know
when to begin. If the interviewee is not able
to do it in less than 30 seconds, do not allow
them to continue. (see labels for l5 variants
95-tried, but unable to do it
96-not attempted for safety
98-refused to do it
(duration of exercise in seconds)
(duration of exercise in hundredths)
148
below)
l5a
Pick up pencil.
l5b
Pick up pencil.
(seconds)
l5c
Pick up pencil.
(hundredths)
l6 (a-c)
Standing up and walking. From a sitting
position on a chair, please stand up and walk
to the location I indicate to you. Interviewer:
the distance to walk is 3 meters. (See labels
for l6 variants below).
95-tried, but unable
96-not attempted for safety
98-refused to do it
(duration of exercise in seconds)
(duration of exercise in hundredths)
l6a
Stand up and walk.
l6b
Stand up and walk.
(seconds)
l6c
Stand up and walk.
(hundredths)
Panel H5.3. Functionality (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d1
Are you able to walk?
1-yes
2-no
d2
Is it difficult for you to walk a few blocks?
1-yes
2-no
3-not able
4-does not do it
9-dk/nr
d3
Is it difficult for you to climb up a few stories
by stairway without resting?
1-yes
2-no
3-not able
4-does not do it
9-dk/nr
d4
Is it difficult for you to push or pull a large
object such as a recliner chair?
1-yes
2-no
3-not able
4-does not do it
9-dk/nr
d5
Please stand up and lift your arm(s) above
your shoulder(s).
1-lifted them completely
2-lifted them partially
3-not able to lift them
4-did not attempt the test
d6
Is it difficult for you to walk from one side of
the room to the other?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d8
Is it difficult for you to bathe yourself,
including entering and exiting the bath tub?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d11
Do you have difficulty in eating, including
cutting your food, pouring drinks into
glasses, etc.?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d13
Do you have difficulty getting in or out of
bed?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d16
Do you have difficulty in using the
bathroom, including sitting or getting up
from the toilet?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d19
Do you have difficulty cutting your toenails?
1-yes
149
2-no
9-dk/nr
d21
Do you have difficulty in preparing a hot
meal?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d23
Do you have difficulty managing your own
money?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d25
Do you have difficulty in shopping (for
example, food or clothes)?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
d27
Do you have difficulty taking your
medications?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
Panel H5.4. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c4
Has a physician ever told you that you have
high blood pressure (hypertension)?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
c10
Has a physician ever told you that you have
diabetes (high levels of sugar in the blood)?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
c11a
How old were you when you were first told
that you had diabetes?
(age)
9999-dk/nr
c11b
How old were you when you were first told
that you had diabetes?
(year)
9999-dk/nr
c12
Are you taking pills to control your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
c13
Are you using insulin injections to control
your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
c14
How often do you measure your blood sugar
levels yourself?
1-more than once a day
2-once a day
3-once per week
4-less than once per week
5-never
7-other
8-dk
9-nr
c15
How often do you have medical check-ups
for your diabetes?
1-once every 3 months
2-once every 6 months
3-once a year
4-less than once per year
5-does not have check-ups
8-dk
9-nr
c16
Did this problem make you change your
daily activities in home or at work?
1-very much
2-little
150
3-none
9-dk/nr
c17
When was the last time that a physician did
a test to know if you had sugar in your
blood?
1-less than 6 months
2-from 6 to 11 months
3-from 1 to 2 years
4-more than 2 years
5-never
8-dk
9-nr
c18
Has a physician ever told you that you have
cancer or a malignant tumor, not including
small skin tumors?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
c22
Has a physician ever told you that you have a
chronic respiratory or pulmonary disease,
like emphysema, tuberculosis, asthma or
chronic bronchitis?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
c26
Has a physician ever told you that you have
had a heart attack?
1-yes
2-no
9-dk/nr
c32
Has a physician ever told you that you have a
heart disease without having a heart attack?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
c33a
How old were you when this heart problem
was diagnosed?
(age)
9999-dk/nr
c33b
How old were you when this heart problem
was diagnosed?
(year)
9999-dk/nr
c35
Has a physician even told you that you have
had a stroke?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
c41
Has a physician ever told you that you have
arthritis, rheumatism or arthrosis?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
c44
Has a physician ever told you that you have
osteoporosis (bone fragility)?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-nr
DIABGLUC-
CONTROL
Diabetes measured by level of glucose (SG ≥
126 mg/dL). SG is the respondent’s fasting
serum glucose.
0-not diabetic
1-controlled diabetic
2-uncontrolled diabetic
3-hidden diabetic
DIABHEMO
Diabetes measured by level of glycosylated
hemoglobin (HbA1C ≥ 6.5%).
0-not diabetic
1-controlled diabetic
2-uncontrolled diabetic
3-hidden diabetic
Panel H5.5. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
muerto
Respondent is either dead or assumed to be
1=dead, 0=alive
151
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Rosero-
Bixby, L., Fernándex, X., & Dow, W.H. CRELES: Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging
Study, 2005 (Costa Rica Estudio de Longevidad y Envejecimiento Saludable). ICPSR26681-v2.
Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research; Costa Rica: The
Central American Population Center [distributor], accessed 2007-07-09.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/26681/version/2.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Panel H2.2. There are other questions about housing, including home ownership (j1-j17)
in the questionnaire.
Note A, Table H4. There are several questions available in the questionnaire regarding adult
diet.
Note A, Panel H4.1. There are other questions about smoking (ev9, ev11-ev13) in the
questionnaire.
Note A, Panel H4.3. There are several other questions about drinking (ev2-ev7) in the
questionnaire.
Note A, Table H5. There are several symptom questions (c84-c100) that could be related to
diabetes included in the questionnaire. There are also several questions relating to well-being
(c119-c127) and questions relating to preventive care (c128-c134).
Note A, Panel H5.2. There is a cognitive evaluation in Section B of Round 1 of the Costa Rican
survey. WHO recommends serum glucose levels to identify diabetes while hemoglobin levels are
used to control treatment (see Brenes, 2008).
Note A, Panel H5.3. There are additional questions about whether or not the respondent uses an
apparatus or gets assistance in performing these activities.
alive.
152
Appendix I: England-ELSA original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the England-ELSA survey that
were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the England data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table I1. Respondent (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
askpx1
Identifies proxy interviews.
1-yes; proxy
0-no; self-interview
cpid
Person number of partner.
-1-not applicable
finstat
Final status of respondent after Wave 2 interview.
C1CM-core sample member
C1CP-core partner
C1YP-younger partner (who
responded at Wave 1)
C1YP_unprod-younger partner
(who did not respond at Wave 1)
C1NP1-new partner (found at
Wave 1 who responded at Wave 1)
C1NP1_unprod-new partner
(found at Wave 1 who did not
respond at Wave 1)
C1NP2-new partner (found at
Wave 2)
hseyr
HSE source survey year.
iapid
Identifies which financial unit member answered
questions from IA.
-1-not applicable
idahhw1
Wave-specific (wave 1) household serial number.
(five digit serial number)
idahhw2
Wave-specific (wave 2) household serial number.
(five digit serial number)
idaindw1
Wave-specific (wave 1) individual serial number.
(individual serial number)
idaindw2
Wave-specific (wave 2) individual serial number.
(individual serial number)
idauniq
Unique individual serial number.
(number)
w2wgt
Used for weighting (non-response weight multiplied
by Wave 1 weight, scaled to ensure average of 1 and
that weight total sample size equaled unweighted).
w2wtnur
Weight for nurse data (excluding blood sample
analyses).
(weight)
Table I2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel I2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dimar
What is [your/name’s] current legal marital
status?
1-single, that is never married
2-married, first and only marriage
3-remarried, second or later
153
marriage
4-legally separated
5-divorced
6-widowed
-8-don’t know
indager
Computed from date of birth (indob) and date of
interview (intdat), both of which have been
dropped from the dataset. All respondents over
age 90 have been classified as 99 years old for
confidentiality reasons.
(list)
99-age on or before 29/02/1914
collapsed
indsex
Definitive sex variable.
1-male
2-female
Panel I2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
fqethnr
Can I check, to which of the groups on this card
do you consider that [you/name] belong?
1-white
2-non-white-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
Panel I2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
edqual (wave
1)
Highest educational qualification.
1- NVQ4/NVQ5 degree or
equivalent
2-higher education below degree
3-NVQ3/GCE a level equivalent
4-NVQ2/GCE o level equivalent
5-NVQ1/CSE other grade
equivalent
6-foreign/other
7-no qualification
-1-not applicable
-8-don’t know
-9-refusal
eqtotinc_bu
Benefit unit equalized total income.
-3-not imputed
sclddr
Think of this ladder as representing where people
stand in our society. At the top of the ladder are
the people who are the best off – those who have
the most money, most education and best jobs.
At the bottom are the people who are the worst
off – who have the least money, least education
and the worst jobs or no jobs. The higher up you
are on this ladder, the closer you are to people at
the very top and the lower you are, the closer you
are to people at the very bottom. Please mark a
cross on the rung on the ladder where you would
place yourself.
(range 0-100)
5-worst off
100-best off
-9-not answered
-1-not applicable
topqual3
(wave 0)
Highest educational qualification.
1-NVQ4/NVQ5 degree or
equivalent
2-higher education below degree
3-NVQ3/GCE a level equivalent
4-NVQ2/GCE o level equivalent
5-NVQ1/CSE other grade
equivalent
154
6-foreign/other
7-no qualification
-1-item not applicable
totinc_bu
Benefit unit total income.
-3-not imputed
Panel I2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dhnch
In total, how many [BLANK/other] living
children do you have? IF ASKED: Step, foster
and adoptive children can be included.
(number, range: 0-20)
-1-not applicable
dignmy,
dignmyW2
How many living grandchildren or great-
grandchildren [do you/does [name]] have?
(number, range: 0-97)
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
dignmyc
Last time we interviewed [you/Name] on [date of
last interview], [you/he/she] told us that
[you/he/she] had [number of grandchildren or
great-grandchildren reported at last interview]
living grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Is
this still the case?
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
digran,
digranW2
[Do you/Does name] have any living
grandchildren or great-grandchildren?
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
disib
How many living brothers or sisters [do you/does
name] have? IF ASKED: Foster/adoptive/step-
brothers/sisters can be included.
(number, range: 0-97)
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
hhtot
Number of people in household/computed.
Table I3. Early Life Conditions
Panel I3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
fqcbthr,
fqcbthrW2
In which country [were you/was [name]] born?
1-England
2-Scotland
3-Wales
4-Northern Ireland
5-Republic of Ireland
6-Elsewhere outside of UK
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
indobyr
Definitive year of date of birth.
-7-DOBcollapsed to avoid
disclosure if respondent at 90 plus
pobr
Country of birth.
1-England
2-Elsewhere
countrr
Country of birth.
1-England
2-Elsewhere
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
fqcbthr
Country of birth.
1-England
2-Elsewhere
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
155
-1-not applicable
Panel I3.2. Childhood Nutrition (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
bmi
BMI - inc. unreliable measurements (kg/m^2).
(BMI)
-1-not applicable
bmiobe
Valid BMI grouped according to WHO
definitions.
1-under 18.5, underweight
2-18.5 or over but less than 25,
normal range
3-25 or over but less than 30, pre-
obese
4-30 or over but less than 35,
obese class I
5-35 or over but less than 40-
obese class II
6-40 or over, obese class III
-1-not applicable
bmiok
Whether BMI measure is valid.
1-valid (according to nurse)
2-height/weight not usable (not
valid according to nurse)
3-height/weight refused
4-height/weight attempted but
not obtained
5-height/weight not attempted
bmival
Valid BMI – inc. estimated>130kg.
(BMI)
-1-not applicable
hipokb
Whether hip measurements are valid.
1-usable 1st & 2nd measurements
2-usable 1st & 3rd measurements
3-usable 2nd & 3rd measurements
4-usable 1st & 2nd & 3rd
measurements
5-not usable: unreliable
(according to nurse)
6-not usable: difference > 3cm
7-partial response
8-refused
9-not attempted
hipval
Valid mean hip.
(centimeters)
-1-not applicable
htok
Whether height measure is valid.
1-valid (according to nurse)
2-height not usable (not valid
according to nurse)
3-refused
4-attempted but not obtained
5-not attempted
htval
Valid height.
(centimeters)
-1-not applicable
sithgt
Nurse: Record sitting height (in centimeters).
(centimeters)
-1-not applicable
wstokb
Whether waist measurements are valid.
1-usable 1st & 2nd measurements
2-usable 1st & 3rd measurements
3-usable 2
nd
& 3
rd
measurements
156
4-usable 1st & 2nd & 3rd
measurements
5-not usable: unreliable
(according to nurse)
6-not usable: difference > 3cm
7-partial response
8-refused
9-not attempted
wstval
Valid mean waist.
(centimeters)
-1-not applicable
Panel I3.3. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
difjob,
difjobW2
What was [your/name’s] [main
carer’s/father’s/step father’s/foster
father’s/adoptive father’s/mother’s] main
occupation when [you were/he was/she was] 14?
01-armed forces
02-manager or senior official in
someone else’s business
03-running his own business
04-professional or technical
05-administrative, clerical or
secretarial
06-skilled trade
07-caring, leisure, travel or
personal services
08-sales or customer service
09-plant, process or machine
drivers or operators
10-other jobs
11-something else
12-casual jobs
13-retired
14-unemployed
15-sick/disabled
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
Table I4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel I4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
smkevr
Have you ever smoke cigarettes, pipe, or cigar?
1-yes
2-no
-9-no answer/refused
-8-don’t know
hesmk
Have you ever smoked cigarettes?
1-yes
2-no
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-4-did respond at W1 but were
asked
-3-did not respond at w1 but were
not asked
157
-1-not applicable
heska,
heskaW2
[Do you/Does name] smoke cigarettes at all
nowadays?
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
-8 don’t know
Panel I4.2. Adult Exercise
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
heacta
[Show card S.] We would like to know the type and
amount of physical activity involved in your daily
life. Do you take part in sports or activities that are
vigorous…[Interviewer: Read out…]
1-…more than once a week,
2-once a week,
3-one to three times a month,
4-hardly ever, or never?
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heactb
[Show card S.] And do you take part in sports or
activities that are moderately
energetic…[Interviewer: Read out…]
1-…more than once a week,
2-once a week,
3-one to three times a month,
4-hardly ever, or never?
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heactc
[Show card S.] And do you take part in sports of
physical activities that are mildly
energetic…[Interviewer: Read out…]
1-…more than once a week,
2-once a week,
3-one to three times a month,
4-hardly ever, or never?
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
Panel I4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
scako
Thinking now about all kinds of drink, how often
have you had an alcoholic drink of any kind in the
last 12 months?
1-almost every day
2-five or six days a week
3-three or four days a week
4-once or twice a week
5-once or twice a month
6-once every couple of months
7-once or twice a year
8-not at all in the last 12 months
-9-not answered
-1-item not applicable
scal7a
Did you have an alcoholic drink in the seven days
ending yesterday?
1-yes
2-no
-9-not answered
-1-item not applicable
scal7b
On how many days out of the last seven did you
have an alcoholic drink?
1-one
2-two
3-three
4-four
5-five
6-six
7-seven
-9-not answered
-1-item not applicable
scdri01-
Please tick all drinks drunk on that day.
(number of ticks)
158
scdri08
scdri01 - Normal strength beer, lager, stout, cider or
shandy (less than 6% alcohol)-excludes bottles/cans
of shandy.
scdri02 - Strong beer, lager, stout or cider (6%
alcohol or more, such as Tennants, Extra, Special
Brew, Diamond White).
scdri03 - Spirits or liqueurs, such as gin, whisky,
rum, brandy, vodka, or cocktails.
scdri04 - Sherry or martini (including port,
vermouth, cinzano, dubonnet).
scdri05 - Wine (including babycham and
champagne).
scdri06 - Alcoholic soft drinks or ‘alcopops’ (such as
Bacardi Breezer, Smirnoff Ice).
0-no
1-yes
-9-not answered
-1-item not applicable
Table I5. Adult Health Outcomes
Panel I5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
hehelf
Now I would like to ask you some questions about
your health. Would you say your health
is…INTERVIEWER: Read out…
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
Panel I5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
wtok
Whether weight measure is valid.
1-valid (according to nurse)
2-weight not usable (not valid
according to nurse)
3-refused
4-attempted but not obtained
5-not attempted
wtval
Valid weight (Kg) inc. estimated>130kg.
(kilograms)
-1-not applicable
bprespc
Whether BP readings are valid—not ate, drank,
smoked or exercised recently.
1-valid blood pressure
measurement
2-ate, drank, smoked, exercised in
previous half hour
3-not known if ate, drank,
smoked, or exercised
4-three valid readings not
obtained
5-refused, attempted but not
159
obtained, not attempted
dias
Enter [first/second/third] diastolic reading
(mmHg).
(mmHg)
999-not obtained
996-not getting blood pressure
readings
diaval
Valid mean diastolic blood pressure.
(mmHg)
-1-either invalid or incomplete set
of BP readings obtained
fev1 –
fev3
Enter FEV reading. If no reading obtained enter
‘0.’
(FEV reading)
-9-no answer/refusal
-3-few value likely to have been
erroneous reading of fev/fvc
-2-no reading obtained
-1-not applicable
fvc1 –
fvc3
Enter FVC reading. If no reading obtained enter
‘0.’ If you are not going to obtain any readings at
all enter ‘9.95.’
(FVC reading in litres)
-9-no answer/refusal
-2-no reading obtained
-1-not applicable
pf1 –
pf3
Enter PF reading. If no reading obtained enter ‘0.’
(range 0-995)
-9-no answer/refusal
-8-don’t know
-2-no reading obtained
-1- not applicable
sys1 –
sys3
Nurse: Take three measurements from right arm.
Enter [first/second/third] systolic reading
(mmHg).
(mmHg)
999-not obtained
996-not getting blood pressure
readings
-2-no reading obtained
-1-not applicable
sysval
Valid mean systolic blood pressure.
(mmHg)
-1-either invalid or incomplete set
of bg readings obtained
mmssstt
When I want you to start, I will say: ‘Ready, begin.’
Nurse: Ask the respondent to stand up. Stand to
the side of the respondent. Say: ‘Ready, begin!’
Press the start button to start the stopwatch as
soon as the respondent gets into the position and
removes their hand from the support. If necessary,
provide gentle support to the respondent’s arm to
help [him/her] into the side-by-side stand. Say:
‘Ready, begin!’ and then let go of [his/her] arm.
Stop the stopwatch and say ‘Stop’ after 10 seconds
or when the participant steps out of position or
grabs your arm. Nurse: Press 1 and Enter to
continue.
(range 1-10)
mmssre
Nurse: Record the outcome of the side-by-side
stand.
1-held for 10 seconds
2-held for less than 10 seconds
3-not attempted
mmssti
Nurse: Record the time in seconds to two decimal
places (enter the large numbers on the stopwatch
display before the decimal point and the small
(time in seconds to two decimal
places)
-1-not applicable
160
numbers after it). Use the full stop as the decimal
point, e.g. 6.55.
mmloint
Nurse: First explain and then demonstrate the leg
raise to the respondent: 'Now I will show you the
next movement. I want you to try to stand on one
leg, whichever one you want, and raise the other
leg off the ground a few inches. Stand for as long
as you can - I will stop you at 30 seconds. You may
use your arms, bend your knees, or move your
body to maintain your balance, but try not to move
your feet. Try to hold this position until I tell you
to stop. You may support yourself on a chair, table
or wall while getting into position.' NURSE: Make
sure there is a firm support nearby and allow the
respondent to practice. Press <1> and <Enter> to
continue.
(range 1..1)
mmlostt
When I want you to start, I will say: 'Ready, begin'.
NURSE: Ask the respondent to stand up near to a
firm support, e.g., wall or chair. Stand to the side
of the respondent. SAY: 'Ready, begin!' Press the
start button to start the stopwatch as soon as the
respondent raises one foot off the ground and
removes their hand from the support. If necessary,
provide gentle support to the respondent's arm to
help [^him / her] into position. SAY: 'Ready,
begin!' and then let go of [^his / her] arm. Stop the
stopwatch and say 'Stop!' either A) when the
raised leg touches the floor as the respondent loses
[^his / her] balance or B) after 30 seconds,
whichever happens first. Press <1> and <Enter> to
continue.
(range 1..1)
mmlore
Nurse: Record the outcome of the leg raise.
1-held for 30 seconds
2-held for less than 30 seconds
3-not attempted
-1-ineligible: over 70 years/not
held side-by-side for 10 seconds
mmloti
Leg raise (eyes open): time leg raise held
(seconds).
(time in seconds to two decimal
places)
-1-not applicable
mmgswil
Now I would like to assess the strength of your
hand in gripping action. I will count up to three
and then ask you to squeeze this handle as hard as
you can just for two or three seconds and then let
go. Nurse: demonstrate. Read out: I will take
alternately three measurements from your right
and your left hand. Would you be willing to have
your handgrip measured?
1-yes
2-no
3-unable to take measurement
mmgsdom
Nurse: Ask or code: Which is your dominant
hand?
1-right hand
2-left hand
-1-not applicable
mmgssta
Can I just check, have you had a recent hand injury
1-respondent has the use of both
161
or surgery to either hand within the last six
months? Nurse: If yes, do not attempt grip
strength measure with affected hand(s). If
respondent cannot use hand(s) for this or any
other reason, code below. Record respondent
status.
hands
2-respondents is unable to use
(left/right (dominant)) hand
3-respondent is unable to use
(left/right (non-dominant)) hand
4-respondent is unable to use
either hand – test stopped
5-respondent is unwilling or
unable to do test – test stopped
mmgsd1
Nurse: (left/right (dominant)) hand, first
measurement. Say: “One, two, three, squeeze!”
Enter to nearest whole value.
(0-100)
-1-not applicable
mmgsn1
Nurse: (left/right (non-dominant) hand, first
measurement. Say: “One, two, three, squeeze!”
Enter to nearest whole value.
(0-100)
-1-not applicable
mmgsd2
Nurse: (left/right (dominant)) hand, second
measurement. Say: “One, two, three, squeeze!”
Enter to nearest whole value.
(0-100)
-1-not applicable
mmgsn2
Nurse: (left/right (non-dominant)) hand, second
measurement. Say: “One, two, three, squeeze!”
Enter to nearest whole value.
(0-100)
-1-not applicable
mmgsd3
Nurse: (left/right (dominant)) hand, third
measurement. Say: “One, two, three, squeeze!”
Enter to nearest whole value.
(0-100)
-9-no answer/refusal
-8- don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmgsn3
Nurse: (left/right (non-dominant)) hand, third
measurement. Say: “One, two, three, squeeze!”
Enter to nearest whole value.
(0-100)
-9-no answer/refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmgstp
Nurse: record respondent’s position.
1-standing without arm support
2-sitting without arm support
3-standing with arm support
4-sitting with arm support
-1-not applicable
mmgsres
Number of grip strength measurements obtained
1-all measures obtained
2-some measures obtained
3-no measures obtained
-1-not applicable
mmgspr1,
mmgspr2
Nurse: give reasons why no or only some measures
were obtained. Code all that apply. Multiple
responses recorded in variables mmgspr1 to
mmgspr2.
1-respondent refusal
2-respondent in pain in
hand/joints/muscles
3-equipment failure
95-other (specify in mmgspro)
-1-not applicable
mmbcsc
Nurse: check respondent’s status and availability.
Ask: “Do you have any problems from recent
surgery, injury or other health condition that
might prevent you from standing up from a chair
or balancing?”
1-yes
2-no
mmsssc
Do you feel that would be safe?
1-yes
2-no
162
mmssna
Nurse: Record reason side-by-side stand was not
attempted.
1-tried but unable
2-participant could not hold
position unassisted
3-not attempted, you felt unsafe
4-no attempted, participant felt
unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-other reason
7-participant refused
-1-not applicable
mmstsc
Do you feel that would be safe?
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
mmstre
Nurse: record the outcome of the semi-tandem
stand.
1-held for 10 seconds
2-held for less than 10 seconds
3-not attempted
-1-not applicable
mmstti
Nurse: record the time in seconds to two decimal
places. Enter the large numbers on the stopwatch
display before the decimal point and the small
numbers after it. Use the full stop as the decimal
point.
-1-not applicable
mmstna
Nurse: code the reason why semi-tandem stand
was not attempted.
1-tried but unable
2-participant could not hold
position unassisted
3-not attempted, you felt unsafe
4-no attempted, participant felt
unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-other reason
7-participant refused
-1-not applicable
mmftsc
Do you feel that would be safe?
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
mmftre,
mmftre2
Nurse: record the outcome of the full tandem
stand. Variable mmftre2 indicates whether the
respondent held the full tandem stand for 10 or 30
seconds (which depended on their age).
1-held for 10 seconds, respondent
aged 70 or over
2-held for less than 10 seconds,
respondent
aged 70 or over
3-held for 30 seconds, respondent
aged
less than 70
4-held for less than 30 seconds,
respondent
aged less than 70
5-stand not attempted
-1-ineligible-did not hold semi-
tandem stand
163
for ten seconds
mmftti
Nurse: record the time in seconds to two decimal
places. Enter the large numbers on the stopwatch
display before the decimal point and the small
numbers after it. Use the full stop as the decimal
point.
-1-not applicable
mmftna
Nurse: record reason full tandem stand was not
attempted.
1-tried but unable
2-participant could not hold
position unassisted
3-not attempted, you felt unsafe
4-not attempted, participant felt
unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-other reason
7-participant refused
-1-not applicable
mmlosc
Leg raise (eyes open): whether respondent feels it
is safe to attempt it
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
mmlona
Nurse: record reason leg raise was not attempted.
1-tried but unable
2-participant could not hold
position unassisted
3-not attempted, you felt unsafe
4-not attempted, participant felt
unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-other reason
7-participant refused
-1-not applicable
mmlssc
Leg raise (eyes shut): whether respondent feels it
is safe to attempt it.
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
mmlsre
Nurse: record the outcome of the leg raise with
eyes shut.
1-held for 30 seconds
2-held for less than 30 seconds
3-not attempted
-1-not applicable
mmlsti
Nurse: record the time in seconds to two decimal
places. Enter the large numbers on the stopwatch
display before the decimal point and the small
numbers after it. Use the full stop as the decimal
point.
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmlsna
Nurse: record reason leg raise with eyes shut was
not attempted.
1-tried but unable
2-participant could not hold
position unassisted
3-not attempted, you felt unsafe
4-no attempted, participant felt
unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
164
6-other reason
7-participant refused
-1-not applicable
mmcrav
Nurse: check the availability of a suitable chair.
1-suitable chair available
2-no suitable chair available
mmcrsc
Chair rise: whether respondent feels it is safe to
attempt single chair rise.
Nurse: if the participant cannot rise without using
arms, say, “Okay, try to stand up using your arms.”
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmcrre
Nurse: record the outcome of single chair rise
measure.
1-participant stood without using
arms
2-participant used arms to stand
3-test not completed
-1-not applicable
mmcrna
Nurse: record reason why the test was not
completed.
1-tried but unable
2-participant could not hold
position unassisted
3-not attempted, you felt unsafe
4-not attempted, participant felt
unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-other reason
7-participant refused
mmrrsc
mmrrre
Nurse: record whether respondent feels it is safe to
attempt multiple chair rises
Nurse: record the total number of rises completed.
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
(0-10)
-1-not applicable
mmrrfti
Nurse: record the time in seconds to two decimal
places to complete five chair rises. Enter the large
numbers on the stopwatch display before the
decimal point and the small numbers after it. Use
the full stop as the decimal point.
-8-don’t know
-3-chair rises not timed correctly
-1-not applicable
mmrrtti
Nurse: record the time in seconds to two decimal
places to complete ten chair rises. Enter the large
numbers on the stopwatch display before the
decimal point and the small numbers after it. Use
the full stop as the decimal point.
-8-don’t know
-3-chair rises not timed correctly
-1-not applicable
mmrroc
Chair rise: outcome of multiple chair rises, split by
age.
(0-10)
1-completed 5 rises, respondent
Aged 70 or over
2-completed less than 5 rises,
respondent aged 70 or over
3-completed 10 rises, respondent
aged less than 70
4-completed less than 10 rises,
respondent aged less than 70
5-not attempted, did not feel it
was safe
-1-not applicable-did not do single
165
rise successfully
mmrrna
Nurse: record reason why participant did not
attempt or failed to complete all chair rises.
1-tried but unable
2-participant could not hold
position unassisted
3-not attempted, you felt unsafe
4-no attempted, participant felt
unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-other reason
7-participant refused
-1-not applicable
mmschs
Interviewer: record respondent status.
1-observed walking without help
of another person or using
support
2-observed walking with help of
another person or using support
3-not observed-in wheelchair
4-not observed-bed bound
5-not observed-uncertain if
respondent has impairment
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmalone
I would like to test whether you can walk a very
short distance comfortably. Can I just check, are
you able to walk alone without holding on to
another person (using a walking stick or other aid
if necessary)?
1-yes
2-yes but aid unavailable
3-no
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmhss
I would now like to test whether you can walk a
very short distance comfortably (using a walking
stick or other aid if necessary). First, I would like
to ask a few questions to check it is safe to carry
out the test. Do you have any problems from
recent surgery, injury, or other health conditions
that might prevent you from walking?
1-no apparent restriction
2-yes, recent surgery
3-yes, injury
4-yes, other health condition
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmwill
Are you willing to do the walking test?
1-yes
2-no
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
mmsaf
Interviewer: do you feel that it is safe to continue
with the walking test?
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
mmavsp
Interviewer: check availability of suitable space.
1-sutable space available
2-no suitable space
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
166
mmwala
This is our walking course. I want you to walk to
the other end of the course at your usual walking
pace, just as if you were walking down the street to
go to the shops. Walk all the way past the other
end of the tape before you stop. Interviewer:
demonstrate the walk for the respondent. I will
walk with you. Do you feel this would be safe?
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
mmtrya
Interviewer: record results of first trial. Enter time
at next question.
1-completed successfully
2-attempted but unable to
complete
3-stopped by interviewer because
of safety reasons
4-respondent refused
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
mmwlka
Interviewer: record time in seconds to two decimal
places.
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1- not applicable
mmtryb
Interviewer: record result of second trial. Enter
time at next question.
1-completed successfully
2-attempted but unable to
complete
3-stopped by interviewer because
of safety reasons
4-respondent refused
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmwlkb
Interviewer: record time in seconds to two decimal
places.
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmpain
Interviewer: code if respondent has commented on
pain. Otherwise ask: did you have pain while you
were performing the walking test?
1-yes
2-no
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmrecr
Interviewer: record type of floor surface.
1-linoleum/tile/wood
2-low-pile carpet
3-thick-pile carpet
4-concrete
5-others
85-other answer-not codeable 01-
04
86-irrelevant-not codeable 01-04
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmrecrc
Whether answer to mmrecr was recoded post-
interview from text answer.
1-yes (recorded post-interview
from other please specify)
2-no (unable to recode original
answer)
-1-not applicable
167
mmaid
Interviewer: record type of aid used.
1-none
2-walking stick or cane
3-elbow crutches
4-walking frame
5-others
85-other answer-not codeable 01-
04
-9-refusal
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
mmaidc
Whether answer to mmaid was recoded post-
interview from text answer.
1-yes (recorded post-interview
from other please specify)
2-no (unable to recode, original
answer)
-1-not applicable
mmcomz1
Interviewer: provide details about why the walking
test was not completed successfully (i.e. why it was
stopped for safety reasons, refused or not
completed).
1-unable to walk (safely)
2-lack of space
3-respondent refused
4-interview not completed
5-respondent in pain
85-other answer (not codeable 01-
05)
86-irrelevant response (not
codeable 01-05)
-1-not applicable
mmcomz2
Interviewer: provide details about why the walking
test was not completed successfully (i.e. why it was
stopped for safety reasons, refused or not
completed).
1 unable to walk (safely)
2-lack of space
5-respondent in pain
85-other answer - not codeable
01-05
-1-not applicable
mmcomz3
Interviewer: provide details about why the walking
test was not completed successfully (i.e. why it was
stopped for safety reasons, refused or not
completed).
85-other answer-not codeable 01-
05
-1-not applicable
Panel I5.3. Self-Reported Health and Vignettes (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
shache1,
swache1
Overall in the last 30 days, what degree of aches
and pains have you had?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shwake1,
swwake1
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty have you
had with sleeping, such as falling asleep, waking
up frequently during the night or waking up too
early in the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
168
shmob1,
swmob1
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
have you had with moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shmem1,
swmem1
Overall in the last 30 days how much difficulty
have you had with concentrating or remembering
things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shresp1,
swresp1
In the last 30 days, how much of a problem have
you had because of shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shsad1,
swsad1
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
have you had with feeling sad, low, or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shwork1,
swwork1
How much are you limited in the kind or amount
of work that you can do due to an impairment or
health problem?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shache2,
shache3,
shache4
swache2,
swache3,
swache4
Pain vignettes. How much work could you do in
last 30 days due to aches and pain?
How much is [Geoffrey/Linda/Jennifer] limited in
the kind or amount of work [he/she] could do?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
1-not limited
2-mildly
3-moderately
4-severely
5-extremely
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shwake2,
shwake3,
Sleeping vignettes. In the last 30 days, how much
difficulty have you had with sleeping, such as
1-none
2-mild
169
shwake4
falling asleep, waking up frequently during the
night or waking up too early in the morning?
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shmob2,
shmob3,
shmob4
Mobility vignettes. Overall in the last 30 days, how
much of a problem did [Tom/David/Robert /]
have with moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
swmob2,
swmob3,
swmob4
How much work could you do in the last 30 days
limited due to mobility problems?
1-not limited
2-mildly
3-moderately
4-severely
5-extremely
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shmem2,
shmem3,
shmem4
Cognition vignettes. Overall in the last 30 days
how much difficulty have you had with
concentrating or remembering things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shresp2,
shresp3,
shresp4
Respiratory vignettes. In the last 30 days, how
much of a problem have you had because of
shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
shsad2,
shsad3,
shsad4
Depression vignettes. Overall in the last 30 days,
how much of a problem have you had with feeling
sad, low, or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
swsad2,
swsad3,
swsad4
How much work could you do in the last 30 days
limited due to depression?
1-not limited
2-mildly
3-moderately
4-severely
5-extremely
-9-refusal
-1-not applicable
Panel I5.4. Functionality (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
headb01-
headb06
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty…
(if yes, specify)
170
(Katz and
Akpom
ADLs)
1 - dressing, including putting on shoes and socks
2 - walking across a room
3 - bathing or showering
4 - eating, such as cutting up your food
5 - getting into or out of bed
6 - using the toilet, including getting up or down
7 - using a map to figure out how to get around a
strange place
8 - preparing a hot meal
9 - shopping for groceries
10 - making phone calls
11 - taking medications
12 - doing work around the house or garden
13 - managing money, such as paying bills and
keeping track of expenses
96- none of these
-9 - refusal
-8 - don’t know
-1 - not applicable
headb07-
headb13
(IADLs)
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty…
1 - dressing, including putting on shoes and socks
2 - walking across a room
3 - bathing or showering
4 - eating, such as cutting up your food
5 - getting into or out of bed
6 - using the toilet, including getting up or down
7 - using a map to figure out how to get around a
strange place
8 - preparing a hot meal
9 - shopping for groceries
10 - making phone calls
11 - taking medications
12 - doing work around the house or garden
13 - managing money, such as paying bills and
keeping track of expenses
-9 - refusal
-8 - don’t know
-1 - not applicable
(if yes, specify)
heada01-
heada10
Because of a health problem, do you have
difficulty…
1 - walking 100 yards
2 - sitting for about 2 hours
3 - getting up from a chair after sitting for long
periods
4 - climbing several flights of stairs without resting
5 - climbing one flight of stairs without resting
6 - stooping, kneeling, crouching
171
7 - reaching or extending your arms above
shoulder level
8 - pulling or pushing large objects like living room
chair
9 - lifting or carrying weights over 10 pounds, like
a heavy bag of groceries
10 - picking up a 5p coin from a table
-8 - don’t know
-1 - not applicable
96 - none of these
Panel I5.5. Chronic Conditions (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
hedia01 –
hedia07
W1hedia01-
W1hedia07
hedib01-
hedib09
W1hedib01-
W1hedib09
Has a doctor ever told you that you have (or have
had) any of the conditions on this card (Card E)?
Has a doctor ever told you that you have (or have
had) any of the conditions on this card?
1- High blood pressure or
hypertension
2-Angina
3-A heart attack (including
myocardial infarction or coronary
thrombosis)
4-Congestive heart failure
5-A heart murmur
6-An abnormal heart rhythm
7-Diabetes or high blood sugar
8-A stroke (cerebral vascular
disease)
9-high cholesterol
95- Any other heart trouble
(please say what)
96- None of these
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
1-Chronic lung disease such as
chronic bronchitis and
emphysema
2-Asthma
3-Arthritis (including
osteoarthritis
or rheumatism
4-Osteoporosis, sometimes called
thin or brittle bones
5-Cancer or malignant tumor
(excluding
minor skin cancers)
6-Parkinson’s disease
7-Any emoti0nal, nervous, or
psychiatric problems
8-Alzheimer’s disease
9-Dementia, senility or another
serious memory impairment
-8-don’t know
96-none of these
-1 – Not applicable
172
hedian1-
hedian9
Reason disputed [CVD condition] diagnosis from
Wave 1
1-never had
2-no longer has
3- did not have previously, but has
now
-1-not applicable
hediam1-
hediam5
Reason disputed [chronic condition] diagnosis
from Wave 1
1
hediam1 = pulmonary
hediam3 = arthritis
hediam5 = cancer
1-never had
2-no longer has
3-did not have previously, but has
now
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heacd
heana
Has a doctor ever told you that you have diabetes?
Have you ever had any pain or discomfort in your
chest?
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heanb
Do you get it when you walk uphill or hurry?
1-yes
2-no
3-sometimes/occasionally
4-never walks uphill or hurries
5-cannot walk
-1-not applicable
heanc
Does this happen on most occasions?
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heand
Do you get it when you walk at an ordinary pace on
the level?
1-yes
2-no
3-sometimes/occasionally
4-never walks at an ordinary pace
on the level
-1-not applicable
heane
Does this happen on most occasions?
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
heanf
What do you do if you get it while you are walking?
Do you… INTERVIEWER: Read out…
1-…stop
2-slow down,
3-or, do you carry on?
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heang
If you stand still does the pain go away or not?
INTERVIEWER: If respondent unsure, probe—
What happens to the pain on most occasions?
1-pain goes away
2-pain doesn’t go away
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heanh
How soon does the pain go away? Does it go
in…INTERVIEWER: Read out…
1-…10 minutes or less,
2-or, more than 10 minutes?
173
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heanj
Please could you tell me where you get this pain or
discomfort? INTERVIEWER: Write in.
(string)
heani1-
heani6
Show card N. Will you show me where you get this
pain or discomfort? INTERVIEWER: Probe—
Where else? (code all that apply)
1-sternum (upper or middle)
2-sternum lower
3-left anterior chest
4-left arm
5-right anterior chest
6-right arm
95-somewhere else
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
heanim1-
heanim6
Please could you tell me where you get this pain or
discomfort? INTERVIEWER: Write in.
(merged responses from heanj, heani1-heani6)
1-sternum (upper or middle)
2-sternum lower
3-left anterior chest
4-left arm
5-right anterior chest
6-right arm
85-other answer (not codeable)
-1-not applicable
heanl
Have you spoken to a doctor or nurse about this
pain or discomfort?
1-yes
2-no
-1-not applicable
heank
Have you ever had a severe pain across the front of
your chest lasting for half an hour or more?
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
-1-not applicable
Panel I5.6. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
agedead2
Age at death, with those aged 90 and over recoded
to avoid disclosure.
(age)
-2-information not
available/applicable
-3-details being checked
99-aged 90 or over
maincod
Main cause of death using ICD9 and 10.
1-cancer
2-cardiovascular disease
3-respiratory
4-other
-1-alive or no permission given to
check
-2-ICD information not available
mortfin
Current mortality status (from all sources).
1-alive/not known to have died
2-dead
mortwave
Data source and when died in relation to survey
wave.
(see codes 11-43)
0-alive/not known to have died
31- post-w2 issue & pre-w3 issue -
w3 sampling
32- pre-w3 - w3 fieldwork
33- post-w2 issue & pre-w3 issue -
external update
174
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above.
National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), University College London, & Institute for Fiscal
Studies (IFS). English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Economic and Social Data Service
[distributor], accessed 2011-03-29. http://www.ifs.org.uk/ELSA,
http://www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal/access/elsa/l5050.asp.
Notes:
ELSA uses identical variables from wave to wave in some cases. As an example, the
identification of chronic conditions is complicated in ELSA. To determine whether ELSA
identified a chronic condition, the first wave had to be reviewed. Then, from the second wave (or
the baseline for the cross national data set), all chronic conditions had to be double checked to
see if respondents were still reporting the same condition. In the cross national data, variables
were renamed with wave identifiers. For example, the variables hedia* and hedib* from wave 1
are now W1hedia* and W1hedib*.
The following variables were renamed to indicate from which wave they came.
Wave 1 variable
Renamed as
Wave 2 variable
Renamed as
hedia01-hedia07
W1hedia01-W1hedia07
hedia01-hedia07
hedib01-hedib09
W1hedib01-W1hedib09
hedib01-hedib09
heska
heska
heskaW2
hesmk
hesmk
hesmkW2
difjob
difjob
difjobW2
fqobthr
fqobthr
fqobthrW2
digran
digran
digranW2
dignmy
dignmy
dignmyW2
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table I1. The variables idahhw1 and idaindw1 do not appear in the cross national data
set because wave 2 data were used as the baseline.
Note A, Table I2. The creation of variables for health conditions, education, etc. required going
back to previous waves to acquire this information.
Note A, Panel I2.3. Wave 0 (1998, 1999, 2001) and Wave 1 (2002).
Note A, Panels I3.2 and I5.2. Validated measures were used to construct variables for height,
waist, hip, and weight. For example, rather than using the height variable itself, which included
unreliable values, the htval variable was used to construct height for the cross national data set.
Note A, Panel I4.1. Wave 0 (1998, 1999, 2001) and Wave 1 (2002).
43- post-w3 issue & pre-w4 issue -
external update
yrdeath
Year of death.
(year)
-2-information not
available/applicable
-3-details being checked on
175
Note A, Panel I4.3. The variables scdri07 and scdri08 appear only in the questionnaire and not
in the data files.
Note A, Panel I5.2. There is a cognitive test available in wave 2 of the ELSA questionnaire.
The variables mmlostt, mmloint, mmstrt, and mmssstt appear only in the questionnaire and not
in the data files.
Note A, Panel I5.3. The third wave (2006-07) of ELSA has vignettes. Self-completion forms
containing vignettes on six health domains were assigned to a (random) third of the ELSA
sample, except for proxy respondents. The vignettes questionnaire consisted of two sections:
one which asked questions regarding health and one which asked questions regarding work.
Note A, Panel I5.4. In the ELSA survey, respondents were asked a question about having
difficulties with functionality and then presented with a card (cards O and P) which listed
several difficulties with functionality from which to choose. Respondents were asked to report
all possible items reflecting difficulty with functionality.
Note A, Panel I5.5. The hedia variables actually go up to headia10 but hedia08-hedia10 were
not included because they did not contain any relevant information. The hedian2-hedian6
variables for heart disease include angina, heart attack (including myocardial infarction),
coronary thrombosis, congestive heart failure, and heart murmur. The hedib variables actually
go up to hedib10 but hedib06-hedib10 were not included because they did not contain relevant
information.
In other words, chronic conditions in ELSA were identified in the following manner:
1. First calculated prevalence using hedia & hedib variables from wave 1
2. Updated these variables using the same variables from wave 2
3. Excluded anyone as missing if they denied ever being diagnosed with a particular illness at
wave 1
In the ELSA survey respondents were asked a question about having chronic conditions and
then presented with a card (card E) which listed several chronic conditions from which to
choose. They indicated all of the chronic conditions that they had. Responses were then saved in
several variables. This produced the situation that to identify those with a particular chronic
condition one has to search through several variables according to the code for that particular
health outcome. For example, the code for high blood pressure is 1 and to identify those with
high blood pressure one must search for that code in all of the variables hedia01 – headi08.
Symptom questions for angina based on Rose (1962, 1977) appear in variables with a hean
prefix.
The hedia01 - hedia07 row includes all the chronic conditions used based on hedia variables.
Arthritis, pulmon, and cancer are based off of hedib01-hedib09 variables. The other possible
categories in the hedib variables (asthma, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s, emotional, Alzheimer’s and
dementia) were not used. The code 96 (none of these) is used to indicate that a respondent did
not have any of the conditions noted on the card presented to them.
The variable heanj appears only in the questionnaire and not in the data files.
NOTE B.
176
Only the core members of ELSA and only the 50+ individuals were selected for the cross
national data.
The second wave of ELSA data (2004-2005) was used as baseline for the cross national data
because it had height and leg length information. The first wave of ELSA does not include height
or weight because nurse's visits occurred every other wave.
The identification of chronic conditions is complicated in ELSA. To determine whether ELSA
identified a chronic condition, the first wave had to be reviewed. Then, from the second wave (or
the baseline for the cross national data set), all chronic conditions had to be double checked to
see if respondents were still reporting the same condition. ELSA uses identical variables from
wave to wave in some cases. In the cross national data, variables were renamed with wave
identifiers. For example, the variables hedia* and hedib* from wave 1 are now W1hedia* and
W1hedib*. If there were discrepancies between wave 1 and wave 2, the hedian* and hediam*
variables were used to verify the reason for such discrepancies.
ELSA has several different ID numbers:
idauniq is a unique individual serial number used in linking individuals between waves
idahhw1 is household number (wave specific analytical number)
idaindw1 if individual number (wave specific analytical number)
There are also other id numbers and variables that indicate if interview was partial or complete.
177
Appendix J: Indonesia-IFLS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Indonesia-IFLS survey that
were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the Indonesia data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table J1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ar01i_00
Interview’s status.
1-yes
3-no
hhid00
Household ID number.
day2000
Day of interview in 2000.
(day)
month2000
Month of interview in 2000.
(month)
year2000
Year of interview in 2000.
(year)
day 2007
Day of interview in 2007.
(day)
month2007
Month of interview in 2007.
(month)
year2007
Year of interview in 2007.
(year)
ivwmth1
Date of the first interview in 2000.
(month)
ivwday1
Date of the first interview in 2000.
(day)
ivwyr1
Date of the first interview in 2000.
(year)
main
Main respondent selected to answer Books IIIA &
IIIB?
0-not main respondent
1-main respondent
pid00
Person ID number.
pidlink
Key identification variable to link between waves.
proxy
Proxy.
pw00usxa
Sampling weight.
pw00usxb
Sampling weight.
pwt00xa
Sampling weight.
pwt00xb
Sampling weight.
res00b3a
Indicates whether Book IIIA was completed by
respondent.
1-complete
2-partially complete
3-not completed
res00b3b
Indicates whether Book IIIA was completed by
respondent.
1-complete
2-partially complete
3-not completed
res00us
Indicates whether Book US (health assessment) was
completed by respondent.
1-yes
3-no
rspndnt
Respondent is:
1-head of household
2-spouce of head of
household
3-other household
member
mresp07
Main respondent 2007.
sc01
Province.
(code – contact RAND
for more info)
sc02
Municipality (Kabupaten/Kotamadya).
(code – contact RAND
178
for more info)
sc03
Subdistrict (Kecamatan).
(code)
sc05
Area:
1-urban
2-rural
sc17
Number of Householders IFLS 2000
(number)
Table J2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel J2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
age_00
How old are you (at survey year 2000)?
(years)
marstat
What is your marital status?
1-single
2-married
3-separated
4-divorced
5-widowed
sex
Sex
1-male
3-female
us01
Sex
1-male
3-female
Panel J2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dl01a
What languages do you speak in your daily life at
home? (Circle all that apply.)
W-Indonesian
A-Javanese
B-Sundanese
D-Balinese
G-Batak
H-Bugis
I-Chinese
C-Maduranese
E-Sasak
F-Minang
J-Banjar
L-Bima
M-Makassar
N-Nias
O-Palembang
P-Sumbawa
Q-Toraja
R-Lahat
S-Other South Sumatra
T-Betawi
U-Lampung
K-Other (name)
179
dl01e
Which ethnical group is primarily influential in daily
activities of your household?
01-Jawa
02-Sunda
03-Bali
04-Batak
05-Bugis
06-Tionghoa
07-Madura
08-Sasak
09-Minang
10-Banjar
11-Bima-Dompu
12-Makassar
13-Nias
14-Palembang
15-Sumbawa
16-Toraja
17-Betawi
18-Dayak
19-Melayu-Deli
20-Komering
21-Ambon
22-Manado
23-Aceh
25-Other South
Sumatera
95-other
96-Other (name)
langothr
Other language used (if any):
(other, specify)
Panel J2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dl02
Can you read an Indonesian-language newspaper?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
dl02a
Can you read a newspaper in another language?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
dl03
Can you write a letter in Indonesian?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
dl03a
Can you write a letter in another language?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
dl04
Have you ever attended/are you attending school?
3-no
1-yes
dl06
What is the highest education level attended? [Note to
interviewer: If they are currently attending school,
record the level they are currently attending.]
01-no school/not yet in
school
02-elementary
03-junior high general
04-junior high vocational
05-senior high general
06-senior high vocational
180
60-college (d1, d2, d3)
61-university (bachelor)
62-university (master)
63-university (doctorate)
11-adult education a
12-adult education b
13-open university
14-Islamic school
(Pesantren)
17-school for disabled
70-madrasah, general
72-Islamic elementary
school (Madrasah
Ibitdaiyah)
73-Islamic junior/high
school (Madrasah
Tsanawiyah)
74-Madrasah senior high
school
90-kindergarten
98-don’t know
10-other, specify
dl07
What is the highest grade completed at that school?
00-did not complete first
grade at that level
01-1
02-2
03-3
04-4
05-5
06-6
07-graduated
98-don’t know
kr13
What is the main water source for drinking in this
household?
01-pipe water
02-well/pump (electric,
hand)
03-well water
04-spring water
05-rain water
06-river/creek water
07-pond/fishpond
08-water collection basin
09-other,specify
10-aqua/air mineral, etc.
kr20
Where do the majority of the householders go to the
toilet?
01-own toilet with septic
tank
02-own toilet without
septic tank
03-shared toilet
04-public toilet
05-creek/river/ditch
(without toilet)
181
06-yard/field (without
toilet)
07-sewer
08-other, specify
09-pond/fishpond
10-animal stable
11-sea/lake
kr23
Do you store your perishable food in a refrigerator?
1-yes
3-no
6-don’t have a
refrigerator
kr24
What is the main kind of fire/stove used for cooking?
01-electricity
02-gas
03-kerosene stove
04-firewood
05-charcoal
06-other, specify
07-do not cook
kr24a
Does this household have a television?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
sw01
Please imagine a six-step ladder where on the bottom
(the first step), stand the poorest people, and on the
highest step (the sixth step), stand the richest people.
On which step are you today?
(scale of 1-6, 1 being
poorest and 6 being
richest)
8-don’t know
sw02
On which step were you one year ago?
(scale of 1-6, 1 being
poorest and 6 being
richest)
8-don’t know
sw03
On which step do you expect to find yourself one year
from now?
(scale of 1-6, 1 being
poorest and 6 being
richest)
8-don’t know
sw04
Concerning your current standard of living, which of
the following is true?
1-it is less than adequate
for my needs
2-it is just adequate for
my needs
3-it is more than
adequate for my needs
8-don’t know
sw05
Concerning your food consumption last month, which
of the following is true?
1-it is less than adequate
for my needs
2-it is just adequate for
my needs
3-it is more than
adequate for my needs
8-don’t know
sw06
Concerning your healthcare, which of the following is
true?
1-it is less than adequate
for my needs
2-it is just adequate for
my needs
182
3-it is more than
adequate for my needs
8-don’t know
sw07
Do you have children still residing in this household?
1-yes
3-no
sw08
Concerning your children’s standard of living, which
of the following is true?
1-it is less than adequate
for my needs
2-it is just adequate for
my needs
3-it is more than
adequate for my needs
8-don’t know
sw09
Concerning your children’s food consumption last
month, which of the following is true?
1-it is less than adequate
for my needs
2-it is just adequate for
my needs
3-it is more than
adequate for my needs
8-don’t know
sw10
Concerning your children’s healthcare, which of the
following is true?
1-it is less than adequate
for my needs
2-it is just adequate for
my needs
3-it is more than
adequate for my needs
8-don’t know
sw11
Concerning your children’s education, which of the
following is true?
1-it is less than adequate
for my needs
2-it is just adequate for
my needs
3-it is more than
adequate for my needs
6-children not yet in
school
8-don’t know
sw12
Think back to 1997, before the ‘crisis.’ What change
since those times provided the biggest benefit for you?
(description of change;
string variable)
sw13
Think back to 1997, before the ‘crisis.’ What change
since those times has been the biggest problem for
you?
(description of change;
string variable)
sw14
Are there any poor people in this village?
1-yes
3-no
sw15
If yes, are there many or only a few?
1-many
3-a few
9-missing
sw16a
In your opinion, why are they poor? Little/no
education.
1-yes
3-no
sw16b
In your opinion, why are they poor? Not working
hard.
1-yes
3-no
sw16c
In your opinion, why are they poor? From poor
family.
1-yes
3-no
183
sw16d
In your opinion, why are they poor? The rich do not
help the poor.
1-yes
3-no
sw16e
In your opinion, why are they poor? Government does
not pay attention.
1-yes
3-no
sw16f
In your opinion, why are they poor? No opportunities.
1-yes
3-no
sw16g
In your opinion, why are they poor? Other, mention.
1-yes
3-no
Ylab
Individual labor income.
totalYlab
Total labor income per household.
Panel J2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
br01
Now I would like to ask you about all children that
you have so far. Have you ever given birth?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
br08
Have you ever given live birth to a son or daughter,
who later passed away though only lived for a while?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
br09
How many sons were born alive but passed away
later?
(number of males)
br10
How many daughters were born alive but passed away
later?
(number of females)
br15
Total number of live births
(number)
hhsize
Household size.
(number)
Table J3. Early Life Conditions (see note A)
Panel J3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
bth_day
Date of birth:
(day)
bth_mnth
Date of birth:
(month)
bth_year
2000
Date of birth:
(year)
dl01b
Where are you from?
A-Jawa
B-Sunda
C-Bali
D-Batak
E-Bugis
F-Tionghoa
G-Madura
H-Sasak
I-Minang
J-Banjar
K-Bima-Dompu
L-Makassar
M-Nias
N-Palembang
O-Sumbawa
P-Toraja
Q-Betawi
R-Dayak
184
S-Melayu-Deli
T-Komering
U-Ambon
W-Manado
X-Aceh
Y-Other South Sumatera
V-Other (name)
dl01c
Where was your father from? (Circle all that apply.)
A-Jawa
B-Sunda
C-Bali
D-Batak
E-Bugis
F-Tionghoa
G-Madura
H-Sasak
I-Minang
J-Banjar
K-Bima-Dompu
L-Makassar
M-Nias
N-Palembang
O-Sumbawa
P-Toraja
Q-Betawi
R-Dayak
S-Melayu-Deli
T-Komering
U-Ambon
W-Manado
X-Aceh
Y-Other South Sumatera
V-Other (name)
dl01d
Where was your mother from? (Circle all that apply.)
A-Jawa
B-Sunda
C-Bali
D-Batak
E-Bugis
F-Tionghoa
G-Madura
H-Sasak
I-Minang
J-Banjar
K-Bima-Dompu
L-Makassar
M-Nias
N-Palembang
O-Sumbawa
P-Toraja
Q-Betawi
R-Dayak
S-Melayu-Deli
185
T-Komering
U-Ambon
W-Manado
X-Aceh
Y-Other South Sumatera
V-Other (name)
mg01ex
What is the […] name of your birthplace when you
were born?
(country)
1-other
3-same as current
residence (Indonesia)
8-don’t know
9-missing
mg04
Was the place when you were born a:
1-village
3-small town
5-big city
8-don’t know
9-missing
mg04a
When you were 12 years old did you live in the same
place as the place where you were born?
1-yes
3-no
8-don’t know
9-missing
mg08
When you were 12, was the place a:
1-village
3-small town
5-big city
8-don’t know
9-missing
mg19b
Have you ever moved since the age of 12?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
movenum
How many times have you moved since the age of 12?
(number)
proxy
Proxy.
us02mth
When were you born?
(month)
Panel J3.2. Childhood Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ba07am
Did [respondent’s name] mother ever attend school?
1-yes
3-no
8-don’t know
9-missing
ba08m
What is the highest level of education of [respondent’s
name] mother?
(highest level)
1-no school/not yet in
school
2-elementary school
3-general junior
secondary school
4-vocational junior
secondary school
5-general senior high
school
6-vocational senior high
school
60-academy D1, D2, D3
186
61-university (bachelor)
62-university (master)
63-university (doctorate)
09-university, general
10-other, specify
11-adult education A
12-adult education B
13-open university
14-Islamic school
(Pesantren)
17-school for the disabled
70-Madrasah, general
72-islamic elementary
school (madrasah
ibtidaiyah)
73-islamic junior/high
school (madrasah
tsanawiyah)
74-madrasah senior high
school
90-kindergarten
96-not applicable
98-don’t know
99-missing
ba09m
What is the highest class that your mother finished?
0-didn’t finish first class
01
02
03
04
05
06
07-graduated
98-don’t know
99-missing
ba11m
What is/was [respondent’s name] mother’s primary
activity now/before her death?
01-working/trying to get
work/ helping to earn
income
02-job searching
03-attending school
04-housekeeping
05-retired
06-stay at
home/unemployed
07-sick/disabled
08-other, specify
98-don’t know
99-missing
ba13m
What were […] primary duties (now/one year before
she died)?
01-professional or
technical worker
02-managerial,
administrative, decision
187
making staff
03-clerical personnel and
the like
04-sales personnel
05-service personnel
06-farm, forestry, game
hunting, fishery worker
07-production line
worker
08-transportation vehicle
operator
09-blue collar worker
10-other, specify
98-don’t know
Panel J3.3. Childhood Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
us04
us06a
us06b
Height (cm).
Waist circumference (>=40 years).
Hip circumference (>=40 years).
(centimeters)
(centimeters)
(centimeters)
Panel J3.4. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ba07ap
Did [respondent’s name] father ever attend school?
1-yes
3-no
8-don’t know
9-missing
ba08p
What is the highest level of education of [respondent’s
name] father?
(highest level)
1-no school/not yet in
school
2-elementary school
3-general junior
secondary school
4-vocational junior
secondary school
5-general senior high
school
6-vocational senior high
school
60-academy D1, D2, D3
61- university (bachelor)
62-university (master)
63-university (doctorate)
09-university, general
10-other, specify
11-adult education A
12-adult education B
13-open university
14-Islamic school
(Pesantren)
17-school for the disabled
70-Madrasah, general
72-islamic elementary
188
school (madrasah
ibtidaiyah)
73-islamic junior/high
school (madrasah
tsanawiyah)
74-madrasah senior high
school
90-kindergarten
96-not applicable
98-don’t know
99-missing
ba09p
What is the highest class that your father finished?
0-didn’t finish first class
01
02
03
04
05
06
07-graduated
98-don’t know
ba11p
What is/was [respondent’s name] father’s primary
activity now/before his death?
01-working/trying to get
work/ helping to earn
income
02-job searching
03-attending school
04-housekeeping
05-retired
06-stay at
home/unemployed
07-sick/disabled
08-other, specify
98-don’t know
99-missing
ba13p
What were […] primary duties (now/one year before
he died)?
01-professional or
technical worker
02-managerial,
administrative, decision
making staff
03-clerical personnel and
the like
04-sales personnel
05-service personnel
06-farm, forestry, game
hunting, fishery worker
07-production line
worker
08-transportation vehicle
operator
09-blue collar worker
10-other, specify
98-don’t know
189
99-missing
ba14ap
How is the health status of your father now/before his
death?
1-very healthy
2-somewhat healthy
3-somewhat unhealthy
4-very unhealthy
8-don’t know
9-missing
ba14am
How is the health status of your mother now/before
her death?
1-very healthy
2-somewhat healthy
3-somewhat unhealthy
4-very unhealthy
8-don’t know
9-missing
Table J4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel J4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
km01a
Have you had the habit of chewing tobacco, smoking
self-rolled cigarettes, or smoking cigarettes/cigars?
1-yes
3-no
km01b
Have you had the habit of chewing tobacco?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
km01c
Have you had the habit of smoking a pipe?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
km01d
Have you had the habit of smoking self-rolled
cigarettes?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
km01e
Have you had the habit of smoking cigarettes/cigars?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
km02
Interviewer’s Note: Is km01d or km01e=1
1-yes
3-no
km04
Do you still have the habit or have you totally quit?
1-still have
3-quit
Panel J4.2. Health Care Utilization (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
rj00
In the last 4 weeks have you visited a public hospital,
puskesmas, private hospital, clinic, health worker or
doctor’s practice or been visited by a health worker or
doctor?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
rj00a
Have you had a general checkup performed in the last
5 years?
1-yes
3-no
rj00b
Where did you go to have this general check-up?
(Circle all that apply)
A-public hospital
B-public health center
C-private hospital
D-polyclinic, private
clinic, medical center
E-private physician
F-nurse, paramedic,
190
midwife
G-traditional practitioner
H-don’t know
I-other, specify
rj01
Within the last 4 weeks, have you been to
(rj1type)/visited by (rj1type)?
1-yes
3-no
rj02
How many times did you visit/been visited by
(rj1type) during the last 4 weeks?
(number of times)
rj1type
Type of outpatient care.
A-public hospital
(General or Specialty)
B-public health center
(puskesmas) /auxiliary
center (puskesmas
pembantu)
E-private hospital
F- polyclinic, private
clinic, medical center
G-private physician
(General Practitioner,
Specialist, Dentist)
H-nurse, paramedic,
midwife practitioner
I-traditional practitioner
(shaman, wise man, kyai,
Chinese herbalist,
masseur, acupuncturist,
etc.)
J-other, specify
rj_num
Number of outpatient care visits.
(number)
rn00
During the past 12 months have you ever received
patient care at a hospital, puskesmas, clinic, or other?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
rn01
During the past 12 months, have you ever received
inpatient care at (rn1type)?
1-yes
3-no
rn02
How many times have you received inpatient care at
(rn1type) during the past 12 months?
(number of times)
rn1type
Type of inpatient care.
A-public hospital
B-public health center
C-private hospital
D-private clinic
E-other
rn_num
Number of hospitalizations.
(number)
Table J5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel J5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
kk01
In general, how is your health?
1-very healthy
2-somewhat healthy
3-somewhat unhealthy
4-unhealthy
191
kk02a
During the last 4 weeks, how many days of your
primary daily activities did you miss due to poor
health?
(days)
8-don’t know
99-missing
kk02ax
Do you know the number of days of primary daily
activities missed due to poor health in the last month?
1-knows number of days
8-don’t know
kk02b
In the last 4 weeks, how many days have you stayed in
bed due to poor health?
(days)
8-don’t know
kk02c2
Compared with your health 12 months ago, would you
say that your health is…?
1-much better now
2-somewhat better now
3-about the same
4-somewhat worse
5-much worse
kk02d2_1
Why has your health become, much better/somewhat
better/somewhat worse/much worse?
(string variable)
w-not applicable
y-don’t know
z-missing
kk02d2_2
Why has your health become, much better/somewhat
better/somewhat worse/much worse?
(string variable)
z-missing
kk02e2
In the last 12 months have you experienced any
serious health problems?
1-yes
3-no
9-missing
kk02i
How do you expect your health to be in next year?
1-much better than now
2-somewhat better than
now
3-about the same
4-somewhat worse
5-much worse
9-missing
kk02j
Compared to another person of your age and sex,
would you say that your health is…?
1-better than others
2-same as the others
3-worse than the others
9-missing
us14
According to the interviewer, how does the health of
this person compare, in general, to the health status of
other people of the same age and sex?
(a scale of 1-9; from
much worse to about the
same to very good)
Panel J5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
us06
Weight (kg).
(kilograms)
1-measured
2-disabled
3-reason not measured
4-not able
5-too old
6-age
7-refused
8-supplies/equipment
problem
9-missing
10-sick/pregnant
us07a
Blood pressure (age>=15 years).
(HHM)
192
us07b
Blood pressure (age>=15 years).
(HHM)
us08
Pulse (>=15 years).
(pulse)
us10
Time to rise from sitting to a standing position 5 times
(>= 15 years).
1-yes
2-disable
3-no, other (specify)
4-not able
5-too old
6-age < 15 years
7-refused
8-supplies/equipment
problem
9-missing
10-sick
11-pregnant
12-respondent not
available
us11
How many times sit to stand? (>=15 years)
(number of times, if
5us14)
Panel J5.2. Functionality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
kk03a
If you had to […] could you do it: carry heavy load
(like pail of water) for 20 meters.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03b
If you had to […] could you do it: sweep house floor
yard.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03c
If you had to […] could you do it: walk for 5
kilometers.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03d
If you had to […] could you do it: draw pail of water
from well.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03e
If you had to […] could you do it: to bow, squat, kneel.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03f
If you had to […] could you do it: to dress without
help.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03g
If you had to […] could you do it: to stand up from
sitting position in a chair without help.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03h
If you had to […] could you do it: to go to the
bathroom (BM) without help.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
193
8-don’t know
kk03i
If you had to […] could you do it: to stand up from
sitting on floor without help.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
kk03j
If you had to […] could you do it: walk for 1 kilometer.
1-easily
3-with difficulty
5-unable to do it
8-don’t know
Panel J5.3. Self-Reported Health and Vignettes
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
vg01a
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have with moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
vg02a
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of bodily aches
or pains did you have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
vg03a
Overall in the last 30 days overall how much difficulty
did you have remembering things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
vg04a
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty do you had
with sleeping, such as falling asleep, waking up
frequently during the night or waking up too early in
the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
vg05a
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have with feeling sad, low, or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
vg06a
In the last 30 days, how much of a problem did you
have because of shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
vg01ba
Pak Taryono/Bu Taryini is able to walk distances of
up to 200 metres without any problems but feels tired
after walking one kilometer. He has no problems with
day-to-day activities, such as carrying food from the
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
194
market. Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a
problem did [name of person] have with moving
around?
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
vg01bb
Pak Tumino/Bu Tumini does not exercise. He cannot
climb stairs or do other physical activities because he
is obese. He is able to carry the groceries and do some
light household work. Overall in the last 30 days, how
much of a problem did [name of person] have with
moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg01bc
Pak Sidik/Bu Endah has a lot of swelling in his legs
due to his health condition. He has to make an effort
to walk around his home as his legs feel heavy. Overall
in the last 30 days, how much of a problem did [name
of person] have with moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg02ba
Pak Budiarto/ Bu Budiarti has a headache once a
month that is relieved after taking a pill. During the
headache she can carry on with her day-to-day affairs.
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of bodily aches
or pains did [name of person] have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg02bb
Pak Sumarno/ Bu Sumarni has pain that radiates
down her right arm and wrist during her day at work.
This is slightly relieved in the evenings when she is no
longer working on her computer. Overall in the last
30 days, how much of bodily aches or pains did [name
of person] have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg02bc
Pak Mulyono/ Bu Mulyanti has pain in his knees,
elbows, wrists and fingers, and the pain is present
almost all the time. Although medication helps, he
feels uncomfortable when moving around, holding
and lifting things. Overall in the last 30 days, how
much of bodily aches or pains did [name of person]
have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg03ba
Pak Taryono/ Bu Taryini can concentrate while
watching TV, reading a magazine or playing a game of
cards or chess. Once a week he forgets where his keys
or glasses are, but finds them within five minutes.
Overall in the last 30 days overall how much difficulty
did [name of person] have remembering things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg03bb
Pak Suwarso/ Bu Suwarsih is keen to learn new
recipes but finds that she often makes mistakes and
has to reread several times before she is able to do
them properly. Overall in the last 30 days overall how
much difficulty did [name of person] have
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
195
remembering things?
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg03bc
Pak Mugiono/ Bu Mugianti cannot concentrate for
more than 15 minutes and has difficulty paying
attention to what is being said to him. Whenever he
starts a task, he never manages to finish it and often
forgets what he was doing. He is able to learn the
names of people he meets. Overall in the last 30 days
overall how much difficulty did [name of person] have
remembering things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg04ba
Pak Partono/ Bu Partini falls asleep easily at night,
but two nights a week she wakes up in the middle of
the night and cannot go back to sleep for the rest of
the night. In the last 30 days, how much difficulty
does [name of person] had with sleeping, such as
falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night
or waking up too early in the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg04bb
Pak Darma/ Bu Darmi wakes up almost once every
hour during the night. When he wakes up in the night,
it takes around 15 minutes for him to go back to sleep.
In the morning he does not feel well rested. In the last
30 days, how much difficulty does [name of person]
had with sleeping, such as falling asleep, waking up
frequently during the night or waking up too early in
the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg04bc
Pak Parto/ Bu Parti takes about two hours every night
to fall asleep. He wakes up once or twice a night
feeling panicked and takes more than one hour to fall
asleep again. In the last 30 days, how much difficulty
does [name of person] had with sleeping, such as
falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night
or waking up too early in the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg05ba
Pak Arman/ Bu Lina enjoys her work and social
activities and is generally satisfied with her life. She
gets depressed every 3 weeks for a day or two and
loses interest in what she usually enjoys but is able to
carry on with her day-to-day activities. Overall in the
last 30 days, how much of a problem did [name of
person] have with feeling sad, low, or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg05bb
Pak Sukarso/ Bu Sukarsih feels nervous and anxious.
He worries and thinks negatively about the future, but
feels better in the company of people or when doing
something that really interests him. When he is alone
he tends to feel useless and empty. Overall in the last
30 days, how much of a problem did [name of person]
have with feeling sad, low, or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg05bc
Pak Rano/ Bu Rina feels depressed most of the time.
She weeps frequently and feels hopeless about the
future. She feels that she has become a burden on
others and that she would be better dead. Overall in
the last 30 days, how much of a problem did [name of
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
196
person] have with feeling sad, low, or depressed?
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg06ba
Pak Sugiarto/ Bu Suwarsih has no problems while
walking slowly. He gets out of breath easily when
climbing uphill for 20 meters or a flight of stairs. In
the last 30 days, how much of a problem did [name of
person] have because of shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg06bb
Pak Ramlan/ Bu Badriah suffers from respiratory
infections about once every year. He is short of breath
3 or 4 times a week and had to be admitted in hospital
twice in the past month with a bad cough that
required treatment with antibiotics. In the last 30
days, how much of a problem did [name of person]
have because of shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
vg06bc
Pak Hamid/ Bu Karsini has been a heavy smoker for
30 years and wakes up with a cough every morning.
He gets short of breath even while resting and does
not leave the house anymore. He often needs to be put
on oxygen. In the last 30 days, how much of a
problem did [name of person] have because of
shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
7-refused to answer
9-missing
Panel J5.4. Chronic Conditions (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
cd05A
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had hypertension?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05B
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had diabetes or high blood sugar?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05C
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had tuberculosis?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05D
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had asthma?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05E
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had other lung conditions?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05F
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had heart attack, coronary heart disease,
angina, or other heart problems?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05G
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had a liver condition?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05H
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had a stroke?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05I
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had cancer or malignant tumor?
1-yes
3-no
197
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Gertler,
P., Frankenberg, E., & Karoly, L. Indonesia Family Life Surveys (IFLS). Los Angeles, CA:
University of California-Los Angeles [distributor], accessed 2009-07-27.
http://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS.html,
http://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS/access2.html.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table J2. There is information on siblings and children in Section BA of Book IIIB,
though it is complicated to identify the number of siblings and children (it must be obtained
from roster information) and has been left out of this table.
Note A, Panel J2.3. There are several other questions that describe the household characteristics
(kr03-kr27) in the questionnaire.
Note A, Table J3. For variable mg01, there is more specific information at the village level about
where the respondent was born. There are additional questions about birthplace as well in Book
IIIA. There are additional questions about where and when the respondent’s mother and father
died in Section BA of Book IIIB.
Note A, Panel J4.1. There are several other questions about smoking habits in Book IIIB (km01-
km10).
Note A, Panel J4.2. All of the variables from the outpatient utilization section (Section RJ of
Book IIIB) and inpatient utilization section (Section RN of Book IIIB) are saved.
9-unknown
cd05J
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had arthritis/rheumatism?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05K
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had uric acid/gout?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
cd05L
Have a doctor/paramedic/nurse/midwife ever told
you that you had depression?
1-yes
3-no
9-unknown
us18aa
Are you taking medicine for anemia?
1-yes
3-no
us18ab
Are you taking medicine for high blood pressure?
1-yes
3-no
us18ac
Are you taking medicine for diabetes?
1-yes
3-no
Panel J5.5. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
died07
Respondent died between 2000 and 2007.
0-no
1-died
calive07
Respondent contacted alive in 2007.
o-no
1-alive
198
Note A, Panel J5. There is a section on subjective wellbeing (sw01-sw16) in Book IIIA. There are
also questions about depression included in Book IIIB (kk04-kk11). There are additional
questions on symptoms in Section MA of Book IIIB (ma01-ma08), and those specific to the
heart (ma08c-ma08e).
Note A, Panel J5.2. There are also additional health measurement questions on lung capacity
(Section US of Book US I).
Note A, Panel J5.4. The variables beginning with “cd” are variables taken from the 4th wave of
the Indonesian survey and were used to obtain information about chronic conditions. Although
there are some missing data, Indonesia does not show a large prevalence of chronic conditions
such as heart disease or diabetes. However, there is a large prevalence for hypertension.
NOTE B
In the Indonesian study not all individuals were selected to answer all parts of the questionnaire
(book 3A & 3B are individual and health related). Those who answered these sections are mostly
main respondents although there were some other respondents who did answer these sections
(Strauss, 2004, page 9). However, basic information was collected on all individuals. Apparently
this was the case for mortality and other household information.
For this cross sectional data file, the case identifiers are hhid00 and pid00 and are used to
merge any files within the 2000 data and then use pidlink if merging across waves.
Missing values may be an issue for education variables.
Identifying birth year and age is not always clear from the data. For example, the variable
bth_year from the tracker file in 2007 does not match up well with the bth_year from the
tracker file of the third wave in 2000 but the bth_year and age_00 in the third wave tracker file
are consistent. These latter variables were used to identify age.
Income
Household income was based on labor income in 2000 and calculated from an economist
working with Indonesian data. Therefore, use this variable with caution. A possible rule of
thumb to evaluate the income numbers from the survey year 2000 is:
Less than 500,000 rupiah per month is about what a low income worker might expect to make
1.5-2 million rupiah per month is middle income
3-4 million rupiah per month is upper middle income
>5 million rupiah per month is upper income
199
Appendix K: Latin American and Caribbean cities-SABE original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Latin American and Caribbean
cities-SABE survey that were used to construct variables for the cross national data set.
These variables are marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes
original variables that are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross
national data set. The variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in
the table of contents of the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to
the Latin American and Caribbean cities data that should be taken into account when
examining the data.
Table K1. Respondent (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
country
var00001
Country ID number (constructed variable)
ID variable for Argentina
11- Argentina
12-Barbados
13-Brazil
14-Chile
15-Cuba
16-Mexico
17-Uruguay
folio
ID variable for all other SABE countries
ponder
Sampling weight for all other countries.
ponder1
Sampling weight for Chile.
g0401
What is (NAME)’s relationship to you?
01-spouse/partner
02-son/daughter
03-parent
04-parent-in-law
05-sibling
06-child-in-law
07-grandchild
08-step-child
09-other relative
10-non-relative
11-domestic worker
97-does not apply
98-does not know
99-no response
Table K2. Demographics
Panel K2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a01b
How old are you?
(years)
c18
Sex of the respondent.
1-woman
2-man
marital
Variable created by survey staff to determine
marital status.
Panel K2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a12 (data for
(Optional question) Could you please tell me
1-white
200
all countries
except Mexico)
what your race and ethnic background is?
2-mestizo (combination of
white and indigenous)
3-mulatto (combination of
black and white)
4-black
5-indigenous
6-asian
8-other
98-does not know
99-no response
Panel K2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
yeduca
Variable created by survey staff to determine
years of education.
a05a
Do you know how to read and write a
message?
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
a05b
Did you ever attend school?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
a06*
What was the highest level of schooling that
you have completed? These variables include
the level completed, grade completed,
completion level status, etc. Circle only one
response code and record the years completed
at this level.
01-elementary and middle
school
02-secondary/high school
03-technical, commercial or
secretarial following
elementary and/or middle
school
04-technical, commercial or
secretarial following
secondary/high school
05-preparatory
06-teacher education
07-college (university)
08-graduate/post-grad
98- does not know
99- no response
j04
Is running water available to the occupants of
this home: Read all options until you get an
affirmative response.
1-inside the home?
2-outside the home, but
underground?
3-from a public pump?
4-there is no running water
available?
j08
Does this home have a room to cook in
(kitchen)?
1-yes
2-no
j09
What type of heating do you use to cook? Read
all options until you get an affirmative
response.
1-natural piped gas
2-portable gas
canister/container
3-elecrticity
4-keronsene or paraffin
5-charcoal or firewood
201
6-none
j10
Does your home have a toilet (bathroom)?
1-yes, inside the home
2-yes, outside of the home
but on the same land
3-no
j13a (Cuba
codes this
variable
differently)
Does this home have a refrigerator? Read each
option and circle all that apply.
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
j13b (Cuba
codes this
variable
differently)
Does this home have a clothes washer
(automatic)? Read each option and circle all
that apply.
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
j13c (Cuba
codes this
variable
differently)
Does this home have a water heater? Read
each option and circle all that apply.
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
j13d (Cuba
codes this
variable
differently)
Does this home have a microwave? Read each
option and circle all that apply.
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
j121 (Cuba
codes this
variable
differently)
Does anyone in this home have a bicycle? Read
each option and circle all that apply.
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
j122 (Cuba
codes this
variable
differently)
Does anyone in this home have a motorcycle
or moped? Read each option and circle all that
apply.
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
j123 (Cuba
codes this
variable
differently)
Does anyone in this home have an
automobile? Read each option and circle all
that apply.
1-yes
2-no
9-no response
h25a (only
Chile uses this
variable)
Annual wage.
h25d (only
Chile uses this
variable)
Daily wage.
h25m (only
Chile uses this
variable)
Monthly wage.
h25q (only
Chile uses this
variable)
Biweekly wage.
h25s (only
Chile uses this
variable)
Weekly wage.
h25i (all
countries
except Chile
In total, how much do you earn from this and
other jobs?
202
use this
coding)
h25p (all
countries
except Chile
use this
coding)
…and with what frequency do you receive this
amount?
1-per day
2-per week
3-biweekly
4-per month
5-per year
8-does not know
9-no response
h261
Do you receive income from retirement or
pension?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
h262
Do you receive income help from family in
another country?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
9-no response
h263
Do you receive income help from family living
in ---?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
h264
Do you receive income from renting or
banking income?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
h265
Do you receive income from social welfare
subsidy?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
h266
Do you receive income from other? Specify.
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
h27a1
How much income do you receive from
retirement or pension? For each affirmative
answer in h26, ask h27a and h27b.
(amount from retirement or
pension)
999998-does not know
999999-no response
h27a2
How much income do you receive from help
from family in another country? For each
affirmative answer in h26, ask h27a and h27b.
(amount from family in
another country)
999998-does not know
999999-no response
h27a3
How much income do you receive from help
from family living in ---? For each affirmative
answer in h26, ask h27a and h27b.
(amount from family living in
---)
999998-does not know
999999-no response
h27a4
How much income do you receive renting or
banking income? For each affirmative answer
in h26, ask h27a and h27b.
(amount from renting or
banking income)
999998-does not know
999999-no response
h27a5
How much income do you receive from social
(amount from social welfare
203
welfare subsidy? For each affirmative answer
in h26, ask h27a and h27b.
subsidy)
999998-does not know
999999-no response
h27a6
How much income do you receive from other
(specified)? For each affirmative answer in
h26, ask h27a and h27b.
(amount from other)
999998-does not know
999999-no response
h27bp1
How often do you receive income from
retirement or pension?
1-per week
2-per month
3-biweekly
4-every year
8-does not know
9-no response
h27bp2
How often do you receive income help from
family in another country?
1-per week
2-per month
3-biweekly
4-every year
8-does not know
9-no response
h27bp3
How often do you receive income help from
family living in ---?
1-per week
2-per month
3-biweekly
4-every year
8-does not know
9-no response
h27bp4
How often do you receive income from renting
or banking income?
1-per week
2-per month
3-biweekly
4-every year
8-does not know
9-no response
h27bp5
How often do you receive income from social
welfare subsidy?
1-per week
2-per month
3-biweekly
4-every year
8-does not know
9-no response
h27bp6
How often do you receive income from other
(specified)?
1-per week
2-per month
3-biweekly
4-every year
8-does not know
9-no response
h21
Working status. See questions H5 and H6
1-respondent actually works
2-respondent does not
actually work
h28
How many people depend on this income?
Include the respondent in the number of
persons who depend on this income.
01-only the respondent
(number of people)
98-does not know
99-no response
h05 (only
asked in
During the last week, you… (Read all the
options until you obtain an affirmative
01-worked?
02-had a job, but did not
204
Argentina)
response.)
work?
03-worked helping in a
family business, estate or
ranch without receiving
payment?
04-looked for a job?
05-primarily did housework?
06-were retired or
pensioned?
07-were temporarily disabled
and could not work?
08-were permanently
disabled and could not work?
09-did not work?
98-does not know
99-no response
h06 (only
asked in
Argentina)
In addition to this activity (condition in h05),
in the last week, you… (Read all options until
you get an affirmative response.)
01-sold some product?
02-made some product to
sell?
03-washed, ironed or cooked,
repaired electronic
equipment, cared for
children or some other task
in exchange for payment?
04-helped work in
agricultural activities or in
the raising of animals?
05-(do not read) did not do
any of these activities?
98-does not know
99-no response
Panel K2.4. Family and Household (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a18
How many children have you had?
(number of children)
98-does not know
99-no response
a19
Do you have step-children?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
a20
How many step-children have you had?
(number of step-children)
98-does not know
99-no response
a21
Do you now have or have you ever had any
adopted children?
1-yes
2-nogo to a23
8-does not know
9-no response
a22
How many adopted children have you had?
(number of adopted children)
98-does not know
99-no response
a23
In total, how many children, step-children or
(number of living children)
205
adopted children that you mentioned are still
alive?
98-does not know
99-no response
g02
Then, there are (number from previous
question) people from that household?
1-yes
2-no
a07
a07a
a07b
a07c
Do you live alone or with someone now?
Five years ago, were you living with exactly the
same people that you live with now?
Five years ago you lived…
Why don’t you live with same people that you
were living with 5 years ago?
1-alone
2-with someone
1- yes
2-no
1-alone
2-with a spouse or partner
3-with one or more married
son(s) or daughter(s)
4-with one or more
unmarried son(s) or
daughter(s)
5-with other relative
6-with other non-family
member
8-does not know
9-no response
1-problems related with your
children- economic
2-problems related with your
children-divorce or
separation
3-problems related with your
children- marriage or union
4-problems related with your
children- to care for children
5-problems related with your
own personal situation-
economic
6-problems related with your
own personal situation-
divorce or separation
7-problems related with your
own personal situation-
death
8-problems related with your
own personal situation- you
felt lonely
9-problems related with your
own personal situation- you
needed help
10-problems related with
your own personal situation-
you got sick
11-other
98- does not know
99- no response
206
Table K3. Early Life Conditions
Panel K3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a02
Were you born in Barbados?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
a03
In what country were you born?
(country)
a04a
In total, how many years have you lived in ---?
(years)
998-does not know
999-no response
a04b
During the first 15 years of your life, did you live
in a rural area for 5 years or more?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
a01am
In what month and year were you born?
(month)
a01aa
In what month and year were you born?
(year)
Panel K3.2. Childhood Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c27
During the majority of the first 15 years of your
life, would you say that your health was excellent,
good, or poor?
1-excellent
2-good
3-poor
8-does not know
9-no response
c28a
During the first 15 years of your life, do you
remember having any of the following illnesses?
Nephritis (kidney disease)
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c28b
During the first 15 years of your life, do you
remember having any of the following illnesses?
Hepatitis (liver disease or jaundice)
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c28c
During the first 15 years of your life, do you
remember having any of the following illnesses?
Measles
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c28d
During the first 15 years of your life, do you
remember having any of the following illnesses?
Tuberculosis
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c28e
During the first 15 years of your life, do you
remember having any of the following illnesses?
Rheumatic fever
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c28f
During the first 15 years of your life, do you
remember having any of the following illnesses?
Asthma
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c28g
During the first 15 years of your life, do you
remember having any of the following illnesses?
Chronic bronchitis
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
207
9-no response
c28h1
Did you have any others? Specify. (Record up to
three more sicknesses that were important for
the respondent for the Brazil, Argentina, Cuba,
Mexico, and Barbados datasets, but leave as
“yes”/”no” response for the Chile dataset)
(specify)
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
*see codebook
c28h2
Did you have any others? Specify. (Record up to
three more sicknesses that were important for
the respondent.)
(specify)
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
*see codebook
c28h3
Did you have any others? Specify. (Record up to
three more sicknesses that were important for
the respondent.)
(specify)
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
*see codebook
c29
During the first 15 years of your life, were you
confined to a bed for a month or more because of
a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c30
During the first 15 years of your life, would you
say that there was a time in which you did not eat
enough and that you were hungry?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
Panel K3.3. Childhood Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
k05
To measure your height, I need you to take off
your shoes. Put your feet and heels together.
Look forward, standing with your back and head
touching the wall. Look straight ahead.
(height in centimeters)
999-cannot stand up
k06
Knee height.
(height in centimeters)
999-cannot stand up
k07
Arm circumference.
(centimeters)
k08
Waist.
(waist in centimeters)
999-cannot stand up
k09
Hip.
(hip in centimeters)
999-cannot stand up
k12
Calf circumference (of the leg).
(centimeters)
Panel K3.4. Childhood SES
c26
During the majority of the first 15 years of your
life, what was the economic situation of your
family? (Read all the options until you get an
affirmative answer.)
1-good
2-average
3-poor
8-does not know
9-no response
a24
Is your father alive?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
a26
How old was your father when he died?
(age)
998-does not know
208
999-no response
a27
Is your mother alive?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
a29
How old was your mother when she died?
(age)
998-does not know
999-no response
Table K4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel K4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c24
You…
1-smoke at the present time?
2-smoked before, but do not
now?
3-have never smoked?
8-does not know
9-no response
Panel K4.2. Adult Exercise
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c25a
In the past twelve months, have you exercised
regularly or participated in vigorous physical
activity such as playing a sport, dancing or
heavy housework, 3 or more times a week?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
Panel K4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c23
In the last three months, on average, how many
days per week have you had any alcohol to
drink (for example, beer, wine, or another
drink containing alcohol)?
1-did not consume any
2-less than one day a week
3-one day a week
4-two to three days a week
5-four to six days a week
6-everyday
8-does not know
9-no response
Panel K4.4. Adult Diet
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c22a
How many complete meals do you eat a day?
(Consider breakfast to be a meal)
1-one meal
2-two meals
3-three or more meals
8-does not know
9-no response
c22b
Do you eat milk, cheese or similar products at
least once a day?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c22c
Do you eat eggs, beans, peas or legumes at least
once a week?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c22d
Do you eat meat, fish or poultry at least three
1-yes
209
times a week?
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c22e
Do you eat fruit or vegetables at least 2 times a
day?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c22f
Have you been eating less in the last twelve
months than you were before due to loss of
appetite or digestive problems?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c22g
How many cups or glasses of liquid do you
drink a day (including water, coffee, tea, milk,
juice, etc.)?
1-less than three glasses
2-from three to five glasses
3-more than five glasses
8-does not know
9-no response
c22h
In the last twelve months, have you lost weight
without going on any diet?
1-yes, between 1 and 3 kg
2-yes, more than 3 kg
3-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c22i
In respect to your nutritional state, would you
say that you are well nourished?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
Panel K4.5. Health Care Utilization (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
f031
During the last 12 months, where did you
usually go when you felt sick or when you
needed to consult someone about your health?
Circle all the answers that the respondent
spontaneously mentions.
00-no other
01-I did not go, although I
needed it
02-I have not gotten sick, I
have not needed a
consultation/appointment
03-private physician’s office
04-private clinic
05-public clinic
06-clinical designated by
medical insurance
07-emergency room in a
private health care
institution
08-private hospital
09-public hospital
10-emergency room in public
hospital
12-pharmacy
13-faith healer
96-other, specify
98-does not know
99-no response
f032
Any additional answer from f031.
210
f033
Any additional answer from f031.
f11
Not including the hospitalization, did you seek
medical care or consultation of any type in the
last four months?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
f12
In total, how many times in the last four
months did you seek medical care or
consultation?
(times)
88-does not know
99-no response
f13
Thinking of the last time you sought medical
attention, from whom did you seek care?
1-doctor
2-nurse
3-phamacist
4-faith healer
5-other
8-does not know
9-no response
f301
Why didn’t you have a medical
consultation/appointment in the last four
months? Circle all of the answers that the
respondent spontaneously mentions.
00-no other
01-did not need it
02-cost of the care
03-cost of the travel
04-time required for the trip
and the wait
05-the problem was not
serious
06-the care is usually poor
07-my family needed me
08-treated self
09-other, specify
98-does not know
99-no response
f302
Any additional answer from f301.
f303
Any additional answer from f301.
Table K5. Adult Health Outcomes
Panel K5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c01
I would now like to ask you some questions
about your health. Would you say that your
health is excellent, very good, good, fair or
poor?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
8-does not know
9-no response
c02
Compared to your health 12 months ago,
would you say that it is better, the same or
worse than it was then?
1-better
2-same
3-worse
8-does not know
9-no response
c3
Compared to other people your age, would
you say that your health is better, the same or
worse?
1-better
2-same
3-worse
211
8-does not know
9-no response
Panel K5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
k11
Weight.
(weight in kg)
999-cannot stand up
k15 (Argentina,
Barbados,
Brazil, Chile,
Cuba, Mexico,
Uruguay)
k15 (Chile)
We are going to use an instrument called a
dynamometer to test the strength of your
hand. We can do this test only if you have
NOT had any surgery on your arm or hand in
the last three months. Using the arm you
think is strongest, place its elbow on the table
and turn the palm of your hand up. Take the
two pieces of metal together like his
(demonstrate). Tell me if I should adjust the
device to your size. When I tell you, tighten
your grip as strongly as you can. The two
pieces of metal will not move, but I can read
off the strength of your grip.
We are going to do this test twice. We will
stop if you feel any pain or discomfort. Note
which hand was used (right or left).
Did you have operations on your arms or
hands?
First time:
95-tried but could not
96-did not try because of
safety concerns
97-subject disabled
98-refused to do it
(finished the exercise, kg)
Second time:
95-tried but could not
96-did not try because of
safety concerns
97-subject disabled
98-refused to do it
(finished the exercise, kg)
1-yes
2-no
l01a
I want you to try to stand with your feet
together while keeping your eyes open.
Please keep this position until I tell you (ten
seconds). You may use your arms, bend your
knees or move your body to keep you
balance, but try not to move your feet.
66-tried but failed
77-not attempted
88-refused to try
l02
Now I want you to try to stand heel-to-toe for
ten seconds. You can use either foot,
whichever you feel most comfortable with.
You can use your arms, bend your knees, or
move your body to keep your balance, but try
not to move your feet. Please hold that
position until I tell you (ten seconds).
66-tried but failed
77-not attempted
88-refused to try
l03d & l03i
l04
From a standing position, I would like you to
try to stand on one foot without touching or
holding on to anything. You may begin with
either leg, and then we will try with the other.
I will count time, and will tell you when to
start and when to finish (ten seconds). We
can stop whenever you feel that you are
losing your balance.
Do you feel capable of rising rapidly from the
chair five times?
Right foot
66-tried but failed
77-not attempted
88-refused to try
Left foot
66-tried but failed
77-not attempted
88-refused to try
1-Yes
2-No
l05
Now I want you to try to stand up from and
sit down in a chair five times.
66-tried but failed
77-not attempted
88-refused to try
212
l06
Do you feel confident enough to try to stand
from the chair with your arms crossed over
your chest five times?
1-Yes
2-No
l07s
l07c
l08
Now, keeping your arms crossed over your
chest, please stand up from the chair as fast
as you can five times without pausing. Every
time you stand up, sit down and stand up
again.
Record height of chair seat from floor
Have you had an operation for cataracts or
surgery on your retina in the last six weeks?
66-tried but failed
77-not attempted
88-refused to try
1-Yes
2-No
8-Does not know
9-No Response
l09
For this next test you have to squat and pick
up a pencil. This is a movement you will
make only if you have NOT had an operation
for cataracts in the last six weeks. From a
standing position, please squat, pick up this
pencil, and stand up again. (Place the pencil
on the floor in front of the subject and tell
him/her when to start. If the subject is
unable to do it in less than 30 seconds, do not
let him/her continue.
66-tried but failed
77-not attempted
88-refused to try
Panel K5.3. Functionality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d01a
Do you have any difficulty with running or
jogging one and a half kilometers (1 mile)?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d01b
Do you have any difficulty with walking
several hundred yards?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d01c
Do you have any difficulty with walking one
hundred yards?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d02
Do you have any difficulty with sitting for two
hours?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d03
Do you have any difficulty with getting up
from a chair after sitting for long periods?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d04
Do you have any difficulty with climbing
several flights of stairs without resting?
1-yes
2-no
213
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d05
Do you have any difficulty with climbing one
flight of stairs without resting?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d06
Do you have any difficulty with stooping,
kneeling, or crouching?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d07
Do you have any difficulty reaching or
extending your arms above shoulder level?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d08
Do you have any difficulty with pulling or
pushing a large object, like a living room
chair?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d09
Do you have any difficulty with lifting or
carrying weights over 5 kgs. (10 lbs.), like a
heavy shopping bag?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d10
Do you have any difficulty with picking up a
coin form a table?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
9-no response
d11
Do you have difficulty with walking across a
room?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d12a
Do you use any equipment or devices when
walking across a room?
o response
d12b
What type of equipment do you use?
(respondents could have multiple answers,
all of which are saved in several d12b*
variables)
1-railing
2-walker
3-cane
4-crutches
5-orthopedic shelves
6- brace (leg or back)
7- prosthesis
8-oxygen or respirator
9-furniture or walls
10-wheelchair or cart
11-other, specify
12-does not know
214
13-no response
d12c
Does anyone ever help you with walking
across a room?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d13a
Do you have difficulty with dressing
(including putting on shoes and
socks/stockings)?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d13b
Does anyone help you dress?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d14a
Do you have difficulty bathing (including
getting in and out of the tub)?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d14b
Do you ever use any equipment or devices
while bathing (such as a rail or a stool)?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d14c
Does anyone ever help you with bathing?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d15a
Do you have difficulty eating (including
cutting food, filling glasses, etc.)?
1-yes
2-no
8-dose not know
9-no response
d15b
Does anyone help you with eating?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d16a
Do you have difficulty getting in and out of
bed?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d16b
Do you ever use any equipment or devices
when getting in or out of bed?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d16c
Does anyone help you with getting in or out
of bed?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d17a
Do you have difficulty with using the toilet
(including getting up and down from the
toilet)?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d18a
Do you have difficulty with preparing a hot
meal?
1-yes
2-no
215
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not
apply
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d18b
Does anyone help you with preparing a hot
meal?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d19a
Do you have difficulty managing your own
money?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not
apply
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d19b
Does anyone help you with managing your
own money?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d20a
Do you have difficulty going places alone, like
to places such as the doctor, church, etc.?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not
apply
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d20b
Does anyone ever accompany you to help you
get in or out of a car/bus, bring you
transportation or help you to catch some
form of transportation (call a taxi, for
example)?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d21a
Do you have difficulty with shopping for
groceries?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d21b
Does anyone ever help you with shopping for
groceries?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
216
d22a
Do you have difficulty with making telephone
calls?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not
apply
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d22b
Does anyone ever help you with making
telephone calls?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d23a
Do you have difficulty with doing light
housework such as making beds, dusting,
etc.?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not
apply
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d23b
Does anyone ever help you with light
housework?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d24a
Do you have difficulty with doing heavy
housework, such as cleaning the bathroom,
cleaning floors, etc.?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not
apply
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d24b
Does anyone ever help you with heavy
housework?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
d25a
Do you have difficulty with taking your
medications?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not
apply
8-does not know
9-no response
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel K5.4. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c04
Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you
1-yes
217
have high blood pressure or hypertension?
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c05
Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you
have diabetes, that is to say, high blood sugar
levels?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c05a
Are you taking an oral mediation in order to
control your diabetes now?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c05b
In order to treat or control your diabetes, are
you now using insulin injections?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c05c
In order to treat or control your diabetes,
have you lost weight or followed a specific
diet during the last 12 months?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c05d
Is your diabetes generally under control?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c05e
Compared to 12 months ago, has your
diabetes gotten better, stayed the same or
gotten worse?
1-better
2-same
3-worse
8-does not know
9-no response
c06
Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you
have cancer or a malignant tumour,
excluding minor skin cancers?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c07
Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you
have chronic lung disease such as chronic
bronchitis, emphysema or asthma?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c08
Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you
had a heart attack, coronary heart disease,
angina, congestive heart failure or other
heart problems?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c09
Has a doctor ever told you that you have had
a cerebral embolism, stroke, attack or
thrombosis?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c10
Have you ever had or has a doctor or nurse
ever told you that you have arthritis,
rheumatism or osteoarthritis?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
9-no response
c11e
In the past 12 months, has a doctor or nurse
told you that you have osteoporosis?
1-yes
2-no
8-does not know
218
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Pelaez,
M., Palloni, A., Albala, C., Alfonso, J.C., Ham-Chande, R., Hennis, A., et al. SABE – Survey on
Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2000. ICPSR03546-v1. Ann
Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], accessed
2004-08-13, accessed 2010-04-30. http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sabe/home.html,
doi:10.3886/ICPSR03546.v1
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table K1. The variable ponder1 was only used in Chile and was renamed in the cross
national data set to ponder to match the other Latin American cities’ data.
Note A, Panel K2.3. Chile coded income slightly differently from the other countries and
provides the amount paid annually (h25a), daily (h25d), monthly (h25m), biweekly (h25q), and
weekly (h25s). There are additional questions regarding housing characteristics in section J of
the questionnaire. Cuba codes the questions regarding ownership differently (j13a is coded 1
meaning refrigerator, j13b is coded as 2 meaning clothes washer, j13c is coded as 3 meaning
water heater, j13d is coded as 4 meaning microwave, j121 is coded 1 meaning bicycle, j122 is
coded 2 meaning motorcycle or moped, and j123 is coded 3 meaning automobile).
Note A, Panel K2.4. Variable a07 was slightly different in Chile and included the following
variables: a07a, a07b1, a07b2, a07b3, a07c1, a07c2, and a07c3. See the Chilean questionnaire
for more detail.
Note A, Panel K4.1. There are additional smoking variables in the questionnaire (c24a-c24c).
Note A, Panel K4.3. Additionally, the questionnaire includes the variable c23a which asks about
the average number of drinks on the days the respondent drank in the last three months.
Note A, Panel K4.5. The questionnaires for each country are slightly different in Section F. These
are taken from the Barbados questionnaire. For Cuba, health utilization variables were coded
slightly differently (see variables f031-f0399).
Note A, Panel K5.2. SABE has a cognitive evaluation in section B of the questionnaire. In Cuba,
anthropometric measurements were averaged because each respondent was measured three
times. The Cuban anthropometric variables were slightly different (height: k5m1e, k5m2e,
k5m3e, k5m3d; knee height: k6m1e, k6m1d, k6m2e, k6m2d, k6m3e, k6m3d; waist
circumference: k8m1e, k8m1d, k8m2e, k8m2d, k8m3e, k8m3d; hip circumference: k9m1e,
k9m1d, k9m2e, k9m2d, k9m3e, k9m3d; weight: k11m1e, k11m1d, k11m2e, k11m2d, k11m3e,
k11m3d). Argentina included none of the anthropometric measures in their questionnaire. Chile,
Cuba, and Mexico measured blood pressure as part of their questionnaire (Chile: variables k011
and k012; Cuba and Mexico: variables k161s, k161d, k162s, and k162d). There are other
anthropometric measures available including triceps fold and width of the wrist.
The l* variables vary from the questionnaire to the data set. In the questionnaire, they are l1, l2,
etc. while in the data set they are l01, l02, etc.
NOTE B.
Coding of variables varied slightly across SABE countries, especially in the case of Cuba. For
example, Cuba measured height in three separate measurements and thus three separate
variables. Review Cuba questionnaire for more information.
9-no response
219
Appendix L: Mexico-MHAS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Mexico-MHAS survey that
were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the Mexico data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table L1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
acthog
Updated household information for 2001.
30-one 2001 respondent died, no
new spouse
31-one 2001 respondent died,
new spouse
32-both 2001 respondents died
codent01
Person identification code 2001; should be the
same as ps3.
1-sampled person
2-spouse of sampled person
codent03
Same variable as ent2.
cunicah
Unique household ID for 2001; should be the
same as unhhid.
ent_tip
Type of individual interview.
11 and 12-direct interview
21 and 22-proxy
ent2
Individual code of respondent.
ent4_1
Day of interview in wave 2 (2003).
(day)
ent4_2
Month of interview in wave 2 (2003).
(month)
fac_per
Person sample weight.
murb
Community of residence has 100,000 people or
more.
0-less urbanized regions
1-more urbanized regions
ps3
Person ID number for MHAS 2001.
1-sampled person
2-spouse of sampled person
ps31_1
Day of interview in wave 1 (2001).
(day)
ps31_2
Month of interview in wave 1 (2001).
(month)
unhhid
Unique Household ID number.
Table L2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel L2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
sexo
Respondent’s sex.
1-male
2-female
edad
Age.
(continuous)
a10
Currently are you…
1-single?
2-married?
3-in a consensual union?
4-divorced?
5-separated from a union?
6-separated from a marriage?
7-widowed from a union?
220
8-widowed from a marriage?
Panel L2.2. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a25
Not counting vacations and short visits, have
you ever worked or lived in the US?
0-invalid
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a26
In total, about how many years have you worked
or lived in the US?
(years)
01-12 months or less
88-rf
99-dk
a3_3
How many years of education do you have?
[years]
99-don’t know
a4
Do you know how to read and write a message?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-don’t know
a5
Can you count from 1 to 10?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-don’t know
a33
Are you currently a permanent resident or
citizen of the United States? (Note: Not a lot of
respondents answered this question.)
1-permanent resident
2-citizen
3-no, neither of the two
8-rf
9-dk
am85
Total consumption.
entmig
State of residence is among 6 with highest out-
migration to the US in 1990-95 (Durango,
Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit,
Zacatecas).
0-other Mexican state
1-highest out-migration states
income
_i
Individual total income.
j10b
In this house do you have a television?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
j10c
In this house do you have a refrigerator?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
j10d
In this house do you have a washing machine?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
j10e
In this house do you have a telephone?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
j10f
In this house do you have a water heater?
1-yes
221
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
j5
In this housing unit do you have…?
1-piped water inside your house
2-piped water outside your
house but within your lot
3-other piped water
4-unpiped water (well, river, or
other)
8-rf
9-dk
j6
Does your sanitary facility have…
1-a water connection?
2-a bucket filled with water?
3-no need for water?
4-do not have one
8-rf
9-dk
j8
The fuel that you use the most to cook is…?
1-gas
2-wood or coal
3-other (oil, electricity, other)
8-rf
9-dk
k75
Excluding income you have already mentioned,
during the last year did you (and/or your
spouse) receive any monetary or inkind help
from relatives or friends who do not reside here
with you?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
k85imp
If imputed value
1-yes
0-no
num_k
Number of individuals to whom section K
referred.
(number)
Panel L2.3. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a19
How many live births have you had? (IF MALE:
How many children have you fathered?)
(number)
00-none
88-rf
99-dk
a20
Of those live births, how many of them are still
alive?
(number)
96-all
88-rf
99-dk
f30
How many siblings who were born alive do you
have?
(number)
00-no one
88-rf
99-dk
f31
Of your siblings who were born alive, how many
are living now?
(number)
96-all
88-rf
99-dk
f32
Not counting vacations and short visits, have
any of your siblings ever worked or lived in the
1-yes
2-no
222
US?
8-rf
9-dk
Table L3. Early Life Conditions
Panel L3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a21
About how many years have you lived in this
community or have you always lived here?
(years)
00-less than 6 months
01-6-11 months
97-has always live here
88-rf
99-dk
murb
Community of residence has 100,000 people or
more.
0-less urbanized regions
1-more urbanized regions
a1_2
On what day, month, and year were you born?
(month)
99-don’t know
a1_3
On what day, month, and year were you born?
(year)
9999-don’t know
Panel L3.2. Childhood Health, Nutrition, and SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a6
Before you were age ten, did you ever live in the
same house or neighborhood with your
grandparent(s) for more than 6 months?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a7
Before you were age ten, did your house have a
toilet?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a8
Before you were age ten, did you have a serious
health problem that affected your normal
activities for a month or more?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a9a
Before you were age ten, did you ever have any
of the following illnesses or problems?
Tuberculosis
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a9b
Before you were age ten, did you ever have any
of the following illnesses or problems?
Rheumatic fever
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a9c
Before you were age ten, did you ever have any
of the following illnesses or problems? Polio
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a9d
Before you were age ten, did you ever have any
of the following illnesses or problems?
Typhoid fever
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
a9e
Before you were age ten, did you ever have any
of the following illnesses or problems? A serious
1-yes
2-no
223
blow to the head that made you faint?
8-rf
9-dk
c72
About how tall are you without shoes?
(meters and centimeters)
888-rf
999-dk
f1
What was the final level of school your mother
completed?
1-none
2-some elementary
3-completed elementary
4-more than elementary
8-rf
9-dk
f10
Is your father alive now?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
f11
How old is your father?
(age)
888-rf
999-dk
f14
How old was your father when he died?
(age)
888-rf
999-dk
f2
Has your mother ever worked or lived in the US?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
f3
Is your mother alive now?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
f4
How old is your mother?
(age)
888-rf
999-dk
f7
How old was your mother when she died?
(age)
888-rf
999-dk
f8
What was the final level of school your father
completed?
1-none
2-some elementary
3-completed elementary
4-more than elementary
8-rf
9-dk
f9
Has your father ever worked or lived in the US?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
l4
Height.
(centimeters)
995-tried, but couldn’t do it
996-did not try
997-can’t stand up
999-refused
l5
Waist circumference.
(centimeters)
224
995-tried, but couldn’t do it
996-did not try
997-can’t stand up
999-refused
l6
Hip circumference.
(centimeters)
995-tried, but couldn’t do it
996-did not try
997-can’t stand up
999-refused
l8
Measurement of knee height from the ground.
(centimeters)
995-tried, but couldn’t do it
996-did not try
997-can’t stand up
999-refused
Table L4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel L4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c54
Have you ever smoked cigarettes? Include more
than 100 cigarettes or five packs in your lifetime.
Do not include pipes or cigars.
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c55
Do you smoke cigarettes now?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
Panel L4.2. Adult Exercise
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c53
On average during the last two years, have you
exercised or done hard physical work three or
more times a week? Includes various activities
such as sports, heavy household chores, or other
physical work.
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
Panel L4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c60
Do you ever drink any alcoholic beverages such
as beer, wine, liquor, or pulque?
1-yes
2-no
3-never have used alcohol
8-rf
9-dk
Panel L4.4. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
d8_1
In the last year, about how many times have you
seen a curandero?
(number of times)
000-none
888-rf
999-dk
d8_2
In the last year, about how many times have you
consulted a homeopath?
(number of times)
000-none
888-rf
225
999-dk
d8_3
In the last year, about how many times have you
seen a dentist?
(number of times)
000-none
888-rf
999-dk
d8_4
In the last year, about how many times have you
had outpatient procedures, not counting stays in
the hospital?
(number of times)
000-none
888-rf
999-dk
d8_5
In the last year, about how many times have you
visited or consulted a doctor or medical
personnel?
(number of times)
000-none
888-rf
999-dk
Table L5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel L5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c1
Now I have some questions about your health.
Would you say your health is…
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
8-rf
9-dk
c2
Comparing your health now with your health of
two years ago, would you say your health now
is…
1-much better
2-somewhat better
3-more or less the same
4-somewhat worse
5-much worse
8-rf
9-dk
c3
Have you ever seen a doctor or medical
personnel?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
Panel L5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
l9_1
To finish, I need for you to do an exercise to
measure mobility. I'm going to show you how to
do the following exercise. I would like you to try
to do it. If you think that you cannot do it or that
it is too dangerous, please tell me so. While
standing up, please try to balance on one foot
without holding onto or grabbing anything. You
can start with either foot; then we'll try with the
other one. I'm going to time it, so I'll tell you
when to start and when to finish (TEN
SECONDS). We can stop whenever you feel you
are going to lose your balance. Let's start with
the foot on which you feel safest.
(right foot, did the test in:
number of seconds)
94-missing or injured extremity
95-tried, but couldn’t do it
96-did not try for safety reason
97-can’t stand up
99-refused
226
l9_2
Repeat left foot.
(left foot, did the test in: number
of seconds)
94-missing or injured extremity
95-tried, but couldn’t do it
96-did not try for safety reason
97-can’t stand up
99-refused
c71
About how much do you weigh now?
(kilos)
888-rf
999-dk
l3
Now I’m going to weigh you.
(kilograms)
995-tried, but couldn’t do it
996-did not try
997-can’t stand up
999-refused
Panel L5.3. Functionality (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
h1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty walking several blocks?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h2
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty running or jogging 1 kilometer?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h3
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty walking one block?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h4
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty sitting for about 2 hours?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h5
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty getting up from a chair after sitting for
long periods?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h6
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty climbing several flights of stairs
without resting?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
227
8-rf
9-dk
h7
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty climbing one flight of stairs without
resting?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h8
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty stooping, kneeling, or crouching?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h9
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty reaching or extending your arms above
shoulder level?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h10
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty pulling or pushing large objects like a
living-room chair?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h11
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty lifting or carrying objects weighing
over 5kg, like a heavy bag of groceries?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h12
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty picking up a 1 peso coin from the
table?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h13
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty dressing including putting on shoes
and socks?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h15_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty walking across a room?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h16_1
Because of health problems, do you have
1-yes
228
difficulty bathing or showering?
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h17_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty eating, such as cutting up your food?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h18_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty getting in or out of bed?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h19_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty using the toilet, including getting on
and off the toilet or squatting?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h26_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty preparing a hot meal?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h27_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty shopping for groceries?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h28_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty taking medications?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
h29_1
Because of health problems, do you have
difficulty managing your money?
1-yes
2-no
6-can’t do
7-doesn’t do
8-rf
9-dk
Panel L5.4. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c4
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have hypertension or high blood
1-yes
2-no
229
pressure?
8-rf
9-dk
c6
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have diabetes or a high blood sugar
level?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c7
Are you currently taking any oral medication in
order to control your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c11_1
With what frequency do you measure your
blood-sugar level or urine-sugar level?
(number of times)
88-rf
99-dk
c11_2
With what frequency do you measure your
blood-sugar level or urine-sugar level?
(per period)
1-week
2-month
3-year
5-never
88-rf
99-dk
c12
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have cancer or a malignant tumor,
excluding minor skin cancer?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c19
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have a respiratory illness, such as
asthma, or emphysema?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c22
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have had a heart attack?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c27
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have had a stroke?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c34
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have arthritis or rheumatism?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c39a
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have liver or kidney infection?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c39b
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have tuberculosis?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
9-dk
c39c
Has a doctor or medical personnel ever told you
that you have pneumonia?
1-yes
2-no
8-rf
230
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Soldo,
B.J., Wong, R., Palloni, A., & Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Geografia e Informatica (INEGI).
Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). Mexican Health and Aging Study [distributor],
accessed 2008-05-29. http://www.mhas.pop.upenn.edu/english/home.htm,
http://www.mhas.pop.upenn.edu/english/documentation.htm.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table L2. There are additional questions on migration to the United States in Section A
of the Basic Questionnaire.
Note A, Panel L2.2. Several variables that begin with imam reflect imputed income. This was
calculated by MHAS staff using the imam* variables. There is also consumption data in MHAS.
There are several other questions about the respondent’s housing situation, especially
homeownership, in Section J of the Basic Questionnaire.
Note A, Panel L4.1. There are additional questions about smoking in Section C of the Basic
Questionnaire (c56-c59).
Note A, Panel L4.3. There are additional questions about drinking alcohol in Section C of the
Basic Questionnaire (c61-c68).
Note A, Table L5. For diabetes, there is no question regarding when it was diagnosed. Question
c52 asks about respondent’s depression. There are several symptom questions in Section C of
the Basic Questionnaire. In Section SA, there are additional questions about the deceased.
Note A, Panel L5.2. There is a section on cognitive ability in Section E of the Basic
Questionnaire. This is also a measurement for calf circumference (l7) in Section L of the Basic
Questionnaire.
Note A, Panel L5.3. There are additional questions about whether or not the respondent gets
assistance with these tasks in Section H of the Basic Questionnaire.
The variable h12 was used to assess difficulty with eating.
9-dk
Panel L5.5. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
fallecid
o03
Mortality indicator (MHAS created variable).
0-alive in 2003
1-died between 2001 and 2003
sa8b
Number of months between June 2001 and
his/her death (calculated by MHAS).
(number of months)
sa8a_1
When did they die (month)?
(month)
sa8a_2
When did they die (year)?
(year)
sa6
Cause of death.
1-illness
2-accident or violence
3-other cause
8-rf
9-dk
231
NOTE B.
Height and weight were measured for a subset of respondents; all respondents gave self-
reported health and weight. These two pieces of information were combined into the final height
and weight measures.
232
Appendix M: Netherlands-SHARE original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Netherlands-SHARE survey
that were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables
are marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables
that are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set.
The variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents
of the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the Netherlands data
that should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table M1. Respondent (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
mergeid
Respondent ID.
w1mci
Sampling weight.
cvid,
relrpers,
mstat
Variables used to identify household position.
Living with spouse/partner.
1-living with spouse
2-living with a partner
3-living as a single
97-other
-1-don’t know
HO037_
How would you describe the area where you live?
1-a big city
2-the suburbs or
outskirts of a big city
3-a large town
4-a small town
5-a rural area or village
hhid
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine
household identification. Fixed across modules and
waves.
hhid1
Household identifier, wave 1.
status
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine type of
respondent.
1-respondent
2-non-respondent,
partner
3-other eligible person
4-other household
member
int_year
Interview year.
(2004, 2005, 2006)
int_month
Interview month.
int_year_w2
Interview year, wave 2.
int_month_
w2
Interview month, wave 2.
w1vci
Weight for vignette sample.
w1aci
Weight for two samples jointly.
nowh_amh
Variable that explains missing values for the sample
weights. No weights due to missing birth year.
nowh_or
Variable that explains missing values for the sample
weights. No weights, other reason.
nowi_amr
Variable that explains missing values for the sample
weights. No weights due to missing age of
respondent.
233
nowi_ne
Variable that explains missing values for the sample
weights. No weights due to non-eligible respondent
(born after 1954).
iv020_
A proxy respondent has answered some or all of the
questions we had for [{name of respondent}]. How is
the proxy respondent related to [{name of
respondent}]?
1-spouse/partner
2-child/child-in-law
3-parent/parent-in-law
4-sibling
5-grandchild
6-other relative
7-nursing home staff
8-home helper
9-friend/acquaintance
10-other
iv009_
ho041_
In which type of area is the building located?
Who answered the questions in ho
1-a big city
2-the suburbs or
outskirts of a big city
3-a large town
4-a small town
5-a rural area or village
1 respondent only
2 respondent and proxy
3 proxy only
-1 don’t know
Table M2. Demographics
Panel M2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
gender
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine
respondent’s sex.
1-male
2-female
dn003_
In which month and year were you born?
(month and year)
-1 don’t know
yrbirth
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine year of
birth.
(year)
mobirth
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine month
of birth.
(month)
dn014_
Please look at card 4. What is your marital status?
1-married and living
together with spouse
2-registered partnership
3-married, living
separated from spouse
4-never married
5-divorced
6-widowed
Panel M2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dn006_
In which year did you come to live in the United
Kingdom?
(year, 1874-2004)
-1 don’t know
dn007_
Do you have British citizenship?
1-yes
5-no
Panel M2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
234
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dn010_
Please look at card 2. What is the highest school
leaving certificate or school degree that you have
obtained?
1-comprehensive school
2-grammar school (not
fee-paying)
3-fee-paying grammar
school
4-sixth form
college/tertiary college
5-public or other private
school
6-elementary school
7-secondary
modern/secondary
school
8-technical school (not
college)
9 “education country-
specific category 9”
10 “education country-
specific category 10”
11 “education country-
specific category 11”
95-no degree yet/still in
school
96-none
97-other type (also
abroad)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
dn012_
Please look at card 3. Which degrees of higher
education or vocational training do you have?
Interviewer: Code all that apply.
1-nurses’ training school
2-college of
further/higher
education
3-other college or
training establishment
4-polytechnic/Scottish
Central Institutions
5-university
95-still in higher
education or vocational
training
96-none
97-other (also abroad)
edu
Imputed education variable.
0-pre-primary
education, none
1-primary education or
first stage basic
education
2-lower secondary
education or second
stage of basic
235
3-upper secondary
education
4-post-secondary non-
tertiary education
5-first stage of tertiary
education
6-second stage of
tertiary education
iscedy_r
Category of education according to the International
Standard Classification of Education from 1997.
0-pre-primary
education, none
1-primary education or
first stage basic
education
2-lower secondary
education or second
stage of basic
3-upper secondary
education
4-post-secondary non-
tertiary education
5-first stage of tertiary
education
6-second stage of
tertiary education
hgtincv
Household total gross income (imputed).
pppx2004
PPP-adjusted exchange rate in 2004 (imputed).
hgtincvi
Household total gross income—imputation flag.
Panel M.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dn034_
Have you ever had any siblings?
1-yes
5-no
-2 refusal
dn035_
Were you the oldest child, the youngest child, or
somewhere in-between?
1-oldest
2-youngest
3-in-between
-1 don’t know
dn036_
How many brothers do you have that are still alive?
(0-20)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
dn037_
And how many sisters do you have that are still alive?
(0-20)
-1 don’t know
ch001_
Now I will ask some questions about your children.
How many children do you have that are still alive?
Please count all natural children, fostered, adopted
and stepchildren [, including those of] [your
husband/your wife/your partner].
(number, range: 0-20)
ch002_
[Is this child a natural children/Are these children
natural children] of your own [and your current
spouse or partner]?
1-yes
5-no
-2 refusal
ch021_
How many grandchildren do you [and your]
[husband/wife/partner] have altogether? IWER:
(number, range: 0-20)
-2 refusal
236
Include grandchildren of spouse or partner from
previous relationships.
-1 don’t know
ch022_
Do you [or your] [husband/wife/partner] have any
great-grandchildren?
1-yes
5-no
hhsize
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine
household size.
ho034_
How many years have you been living in your present
accommodation? Interviewer: Round up to full years.
(number of years; range
0-120)
-2 refusal
-1 don’t know
ho035_
And approximately how many years have you been
living in your present town? Interviewer: Round up
to full years.
(number of years; range
0-120)
ho037_
Please look at card 30. How would you describe the
area where you live? Interviewer: Read out.
1-a big city
2-the suburbs or
outskirts of a big city
3-a large town
4-a small town
5-a rural area or village
mstat
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine living
arrangements.
-1-don’t know
1-living with a spouse
2-living with a partner
3-living as a single
97-other
Table M3. Early Life Conditions (see note A)
Panel M3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dn004_
Were you born in the United Kingdom?
1-yes
5-no
-1 don’t know
mobirth
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine month
of birth.
(month)
yrbirth
Variable created by SHARE staff to determine year of
birth.
(year)
Panel M3.2. Childhood Health and Nutrition (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ph013_
How tall are you?
IWER: Length in
centimeters, UK: Feet
dot inches
-1 don’t know
Panel M3.3. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
isco_mo
What is or was the last job [your] mother had? Please
give the exact description.
(coded according
International Standard
Classification
Occupation version 88
(ISCO-88) occupational
categories)
text_mo
What is or was the last job [your] mother had? Please
(written label given to
237
give the exact description.
isco_mo)
isco_fa
What is or was the last job [your] father had? Please
give the exact description.
(coded according
International Standard
Classification
Occupation version 88
(ISCO-88) occupational
categories)
text_fa
What is or was the last job [your] father had? Please
give the exact description.
(written label given to
isco_fa)
dn026_1
Is [your] [natural] mother still alive?
1-yes
5-no
-2 refusal
dn026_2
Is [your] [natural] father still alive?
1-yes
5-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
dn027_1
How old was [your] mother when she died?
(age; range 10-120)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
dn027_2
How old was [your] father when he died?
(age; range 10-120)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
dn028_1
How old is [your] mother now?
(age; range 18-120)
dn028_2
How old is [your] father now?
(age; range 18-120)
dn033_
How would you describe the health of [your]
[mother/father]? Would you say it is: Interviewer:
Read out.
1-very good
2-good
3-fair
4-poor
5-very poor
-1 don’t know
Table M4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel M4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
br001_
The following questions are about smoking and
drinking alcoholic beverages. Have you ever smoked
cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or a pipe daily for a
period of at least one year?
1-yes
5-no
br002_
Do you smoke at the present time?
1-yes
5-no, I have stopped
Panel M4.2. Adult Exercise
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
br015_
We would like to know about the type and amount of
physical activity you do in your daily life. How often
do you engage in vigorous physical activity, such as
sports, heavy housework, or a job that involves
physical labour? Interviewer: read out.
1-more than once a
week
2-once a week
3-one to three times a
month
4-hardly ever, or never
br016_
How often do you engage in activities that require a
low or moderate level of energy such as gardening,
1-more than once a
week
238
cleaning the car, or doing a walk? Interviewer: read
out.
2-once a week
3-one to three times a
month
4-hardly ever, or never
Panel M4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
br010_
I am now going to ask you a few questions about
what you drink-that is if you drink. Please look at
card 11. During the last six months, how often have
you drunk any alcoholic beverages, like beer, cider,
wine, spirits or cocktails?
1-almost every day
2-five or six days a week
3-three or four days a
week
4-once or twice a week
5-once or twice a month
6-less than once a
month
7-not at all in the last 6
months
br011_
Please look at card 11. During the last six months,
how often have you had more than two glasses or
cans of beer or cider in a single day?
1-almost every day
2-five or six days a week
3-three or four days a
week
4-once or twice a week
5-once or twice a month
6-less than once a
month
7-not at all in the last 6
months
br012_
Please look at card 11. During the last six months,
how often have you had more than two glasses of
wine in a single day?
1-almost every day
2-five or six days a week
3-three or four days a
week
4-once or twice a week
5-once or twice a month
6-less than once a
month
7-not at all in the last 6
months
br013_
Please look at card 11. During the last six months,
how often have you had more than two cocktails or
drinks of hard liquor in a single day?
1-almost every day
2-five or six days a week
3-three or four days a
week
4-once or twice a week
5-once or twice a month
6-less than once a
month
7-not at all in the last 6
months
Panel M4.4. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
hc002_
Now we have some questions about your health care.
Please think about your care during the last twelve
(number from 0-98)
-1 don’t know
239
months. Since
[January/February/March/April/May/June/July/A
ugust/ September/October/November/December]
[{last year}], about how many times in total have you
seen or talked to a medical doctor about your health?
Please exclude dentist visits and hospital stays, but
include emergency room or outpatient clinic visits.
(IWER: If more than 98, enter 98.)
hc003_
How many of these contacts were with a general
practitioner or with a doctor at your health care
center? (IWER: If more than 98, enter 98.)
(number from 0-98)
hc004_
Please look at card 12. During the last twelve months,
have you consulted any of the specialists mentioned
on card 12?
1-yes
5-no
-1 don’t know
hc010_
During the last twelve months, have you seen a
dentist or dental hygienist? (IWER: Visits for routine
controls, for dentures and stomatology consultations
included.)
1-yes
5-no
-1 don’t know
hc012_
During the last twelve months, have you been in a
hospital overnight? Please consider stays in medical,
surgical, psychiatric or in any other specialized
wards.
1-yes
5-no
-1 don’t know
Table M5. Adult Health Outcomes
Panel M5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ph002_
Would you say your health is…
1-very good
2-good
3-fair
4-bad
5very bad
ph003_
Would you say your health is…
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
srhealtha
Self-reported health (imputed from the first data set
using the United States scale).
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
Panel M5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ph012_
Approximately how much do you weigh?
IWER: Weight in kilos,
UK: Stone dot pounds
-2 refusal
-1 don’t know
gs006_
Now I would like to assess the strength of your hand
in a gripping exercise. I will ask you to squeeze this
handle as hard as you can, just for a couple of
(result, range: 0-100)
240
seconds and then let go. I will take two alternate
measurements from your right and your left hand.
Interviewer: position the respondent correctly.
Adjust dynamometer to hand size by turning the
lever and reset arrow at zero. Explain the procedure
once again. Let respondent have a practice with one
hand. Use scorecard to record the results and enter
results into computer after test is finished.
First measurement, left hand.
gs007_
Second measurement, left hand.
(result, range: 0-100)
gs008_
First measurement, right hand.
(result, range: 0-100)
-2 refusal
gs009_
Second measurement, right hand.
(result, range: 0-100)
-2 refusal
ws010_
Now we have a different kind of exercise that
involves walking a short distance. IWER: Take
interviewer booklet, set up the walking course and
demonstrate the walk for the respondent.
Result of first trial.
1-completed successfully
2-attempted but unable
to complete
3-stopped by the
interviewer because of
safety reasons
4-not attempted,
respondent felt it would
be unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-respondent refused
ws011_
Time of first walking speed test.
(time in seconds to two
decimal places, range:
0.00-20.00)
ws012_
Result of second trial.
1-completed successfully
2-attempted but unable
to complete
3-stopped by the
interviewer because of
safety reasons
4-not attempted,
respondent felt it would
be unsafe
5-participant unable to
understand instructions
6-respondent refused
ws013_
Time of second walking speed test.
(time in seconds to two
decimal places, range:
0.00-20.00)
Panel M5.3. Self-Reported Health and Vignettes (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
v1
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of bodily aches
or pains did you have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
241
v2
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you have
with sleeping such as falling asleep, waking up
frequently during the night or waking up too early in
the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
v3
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have with moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
v4
Overall in the last 30 days how much difficulty did
you have with concentrating or remembering things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
v5
In the last 30 days, how much of a problem did you
have because of shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
v6
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have with feeling sad, low, or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
v7
Do you have any impairment or health problem that
limits the kind or amount of work you can do?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
v8, v10, v12,
v26, v27,
v28, v32,
v33, v34
Pain vignettes.
v9, v11, v13
Sleeping vignettes.
v14, v16, v18
Mobility vignettes.
v15, v17, v19
Cognition vignettes.
v20, v22, v24
Respiratory vignettes.
v21, v23, v25,
v29,v30, v31
Depression vignettes.
Panel M5.4. Functionality (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ph048d1
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
walking 100 meters?
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
ph048d2
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
sitting for about 2 hours?
1-yes
0-no
ph048d3
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
getting up from a chair after sitting for long periods?
1-yes
0-no
ph048d4
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
1-yes
242
climbing several flights of stairs without resting?
0-no
ph048d5
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
climbing one flight of stairs without resting?
1-yes
0-no
ph048d6
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
stooping, kneeling, or crouching?
1-yes
0-no
ph048d7
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
reaching or extending your arms above shoulder
level?
1-yes
0-no
ph048d8
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
pulling or pushing large objects like a living room
chair?
1-yes
0-no
ph048d9
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
lifting or carrying weights over 10 pounds/5 kilos,
like a heavy bag of groceries?
1-yes
0-no
ph048d10
Because of a health problem, do you have difficulty
picking up a small coin from a table?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d1
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty dressing, including putting on shoes
and socks?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d2
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty walking across a room?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d3
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty bathing or showering?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d4
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty eating, such as cutting up your food?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d5
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty getting in or out of bed?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d6
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty using the toilet, including getting up
or down?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d7
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty using a map?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d8
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty preparing a hot meal?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d9
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty shopping for groceries?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d10
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty making telephone calls?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d11
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty taking medications?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d12
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty doing work around the house or
garden?
1-yes
0-no
ph049d13
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty managing money, such as paying bills
and keeping track of expenses?
1-yes
0-no
Panel M5.5. Chronic Conditions (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ph004_
Some people suffer from chronic or long-term
health problems. By long-term we mean it has
troubled you over a period of time or is likely to
1-yes
5-no
-1 missing or not
243
affect you over a period of time. Do you have any
long-term health problems, illness, disability or
infirmity? (Interviewer: Including mental health
problems.)
applicable
-2 refused
ph005_
For the past six months at least, to what extent have
you been limited because of a health problem in
activities people usually do? (Interviewer: Read
out.)
1-severely limited
2-limited, but not
severely
3-not limited
ph006d01
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions. A
heart attack including myocardial infarction or
coronary thrombosis or any other heart problem
including congestive heart failure.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d02
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
High blood pressure or hypertension.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d03
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
High blood cholesterol.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d04
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions. A
stroke or cerebral vascular disease.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d05
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Diabetes or high blood sugar.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d06
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Chronic lung disease such as chronic bronchitis or
emphysema.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d07
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Asthma.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d08
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Arthritis, including osteoarthritis, or rheumatism.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d09
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Osteoporosis.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d10
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Cancer or malignant tumour, including leukaemia
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
244
or lymphoma, but excluding minor skin cancers.
ph006d11
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Stomach or duodenal ulcer, peptic ulcer.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d12
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Parkinson disease.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d13
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Cataracts.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006d14
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Hip fracture or femoral fracture.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006dno
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
None.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph006dot
Please look at card 6. Has a doctor ever told you that
you had any of the conditions on this card? Please
tell me the number or numbers of the conditions.
Other conditions, not yet mentioned.
1-yes
0-no
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_1
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had a heart attack or any other
heart problem?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_10
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had cancer?
(range: 0-125)
ph009_11
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had stomach or duodenal ulcer?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_12
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had Parkinson disease?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_13
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had cataracts?
(range: 0-125)
ph009_14
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had hip fracture or femoral
fracture?
(range: 0-125)
ph009_2
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had high blood pressure?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_3
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had high blood cholesterol?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_4
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had a stroke or cerebral vascular
disease?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_5
About how old were you when you were first told by
(range: 0-125)
245
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above.
Mannheim Research Institute for Economics of Ageing (MEA). Survey of Health, Ageing and
Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Research Data Center [distributor], accessed 2011-05-12.
http://www.share-project.org/, http://www.share-project.org/data-access-
documentation.html.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table M1. In terms of current residence, the Netherlands has the variable HO037 but
response to this question was very low and it was not used to identify current residence.
There are household and individual weights available in the Netherlands data. There are also
weights for the main sample, vignette sample, and those two samples jointly. The variable
wgtmic (renamed w1mic) is for the main sample only; variable wgtvci (renamed w1vci) is for
the vignette sample only; variable wgtaci (renamed w1aci) is for the two samples jointly. The
a doctor that you had diabetes?
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_6
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had chronic lung disease?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_7
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had asthma?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_8
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had arthritis or rheumatism?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
ph009_9
About how old were you when you were first told by
a doctor that you had osteoporosis?
(range: 0-125)
-1 don’t know
-2 refusal
Panel M5.6. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
deadoralive
Whether the respondent is dead or alive.
0-unknown
1-alive
2-dead
xt008_
Month of death.
(month)
xt009_
Year of death.
(year)
xt010_
Age at the moment of death.
(age)
xt011_
Main cause of death.
1-cancer
2-heart attack
3-stroke
4-other cardiovascular
related illness
5-repiratory disease
6-disease of the
digestive system
7-severe infectious
disease
8-accient
9-other, specify
-1-don’t know
246
vignettes were randomly selected from the main sample and so wgtaci (renamed w1aci) was
used as the sampling weight in the cross national data set to include both samples.
The variables w1mci_f, w1vci_f, and w1aci_f act as indicators of cases for which there are no
weights. The variable nowh_amh indicates for which cases there were no weights due to the
respondent’s missing birth year data; nowh_or indicates that there is an “other” reason for there
being no weights; nowi_amr indicates for which cases there were no weights due to the
respondent’s missing age data; and nowi_ne indicates for which cases there were no weights to
the respondent being non-eligible (i.e., born after 1954). See the Netherlands-SHARE user guide
for a more detailed explanation.
Note A, Panel M2.3. Household income PPP-adjusted (hhincome_p) was created using
hgtincv/pppx2004. There is consumption data in section CO of the questionnaire.
The variables dn012_, hgtincv, hgtincvi, and pppx2004 are available in the questionnaire but
not in the Netherlands-SHARE data file. Variables hgtincv, hgtincvi, and pppx2004 do not
appear in the data file because there were multiple values per household and so averages were
calculated across imputed income data to arrive at the final constructed variable for household
income.
Note A, Table M3. Wave 3 of The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, the
retrospective survey (SHARE-LIFE), includes an extensive life history starting from early
childhood. There is a childhood section, a childhood health care section which includes
information on vaccinations and self-rated childhood health, and a section on childhood
accommodation. All variables beginning with sl_* reflect early childhood conditions.
Note A, Panel M3.2. There are extensive variables available in the questionnaire on childhood
health and nutrition.
Note A, Panel M4.1. There are additional questions about smoking, including the years smoked,
average amount, what the respondent smoked, and when the respondent quit.
Note A, Panel M5.2. There are cognitive questions included in Section CF of the questionnaire,
and questions regarding depression in section MH of the questionnaire.
Note A, Panel M5.3. There are also vignettes for wave 2. Those variables range from v1-v32 and
are slightly different from wave 1 but are not included here in the database.
Note A, Panel M5.4. In some cases, the variables obtained from the questionnaire do not exactly
match those in the Stata dta file. For example, variable ph048d01 found in the questionnaire
appears as ph048d1 in the Stata dta file; variable ph049d01 found in the questionnaire appears
as ph049d1 in the Stata dta file.
Note A, Panel M5.5. In some cases, the variables obtained from the questionnaire do not exactly
match those in the Stata dta file. For example, variable ph006d01 found in the questionnaire
appears as ph006d1 in the Stata dta file.
247
Appendix N: Puerto Rico-PREHCO original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Puerto Rico-PREHCO survey
that were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables
are marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables
that are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set.
The variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents
of the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the Puerto Rico data
that should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table N1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
caseid
ID for respondents.
fac_t
fecha
proxy_PR
Consideration Factor for data Principle Interview
(calculated variable).
Completion date of interview
Type of proxy used for principal interview
Mm/dd/year
0-no proxy
2-minmental
3-interviwer
Proxy
tipo_e
Type of proxy.
Interview target type (calculated)
0-there is no proxy
1-by principle interviewee
2-by spouse
3-by another person
1-regular target
2-proxy target
3-target institutionalized
4-target deceased
wtype_II
Type of interview.
1-target
qjefe
Calculated from variable C3: Of all the people that
you have named, who is the head of the household?
Indicate the register
number of the head of
household.
pare_r61
What is the relationship of [NAME of sibling in
position 1] to you? Read each until you obtain an
affirmative response.
13-full-sibling—same
mother and father
14-half-sibling—same
father
15-half-sibling—same
mother
16-step-sibling
17-non-blood related
sibling
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
pare_r62
What is the relationship of [NAME of sibling in
position 2] to you? Read each until you obtain an
affirmative response.
13-full-sibling—same
mother and father
14-half-sibling—same
father
248
15-half-sibling—same
mother
16-step-sibling
17-non-blood related
sibling
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
pare_r63
What is the relationship of [NAME of sibling in
position 3] to you? Read each until you obtain an
affirmative response.
13-full-sibling—same
mother and father
14-half-sibling—same
father
15-half-sibling—same
mother
16-step-sibling
17-non-blood related
sibling
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Table N2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel N2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
sexo
Sex of respondent.
1-male
2-female
a1
How old are you?
(years of age)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
mari_r1
Calculated from variable C11: What is the marital
status of [NAME]?
1-Is he/she married?
2-Does he/she cohabitate
without being married?
3-Is he/she widowed?
4-Is he/she divorced?
5-Is he/she separated?
6-Has he/she never been
married?
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
r2
If you had to classify and describe yourself using
one of the following categories, which would you
choose?
1-black
2-mulatto/a, mixed or wheat-
colored (black or white)
3-white
4-mestizo/a (Indian or white)
5-other
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
249
Panel N2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
c10r1
What was the last grade in school completed by
[NAME]? If C7>3, if older than 3 years of age.
00-did not go to school or has
not completed any grade
(grade completed 01-12)
13-other grade that requires
advanced schooling (nurse
practitioner, technical or
vocational degree, 2 year
secretarial)
14-bachelor’s degree not
obtained (did not graduate
from college)
15-bachelor’s degree obtained
(college graduate)
16-graduate school
17-other
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
c8r1
Does [NAME] know how to read? (If C7>3, if older
than 3 years of age.)
1-knows how to read
2-does not know how to read
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
c9r1
Does [NAME] know how to write? (If C7>3, if older
than 3 years of age.)
1-knows how to write
2-does not know how to write
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
income
Calculated from yn5* variables listed in the note.
n51a_2
How much do you receive per source? Job.
n51a_3
How often do you receive this income? Job.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
n51b_2
How much do you receive per source? Social
security.
n51b_3
How often do you receive this income? Social
security.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
n51c_2
How much do you receive per source? Retirement or
pension.
n51c_3
How often do you receive this income? Retirement
or pension.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
250
n51g_2
How much do you receive per source? Help from
family members in the USA.
n51g_3
How often do you receive this income? Help from
family members in the USA.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
n51h_2
How much do you receive per source? Help from
family members in Puerto Rico.
n51h_3
How often do you receive this income? Help from
family members in Puerto Rico.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
n51i_2
How much do you receive per source? Rental of
properties or rooms.
n51i_3
How often do you receive this income? Rental of
properties or rooms.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
n51j_2
How much do you receive per source? Social welfare
subsidy.
n51j_3
How often do you receive this income? Social
welfare subsidy.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
n51k_2
How much do you receive per source? Nutritional
assistance program.
n51k_3
How often do you receive this income? Nutritional
assistance program.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
n51l_2
How much do you receive per source? Some other
type of income source not mentioned.
n51l_3
How often do you receive this income? Some other
type of income source not mentioned.
1-weekly
2-biweekly
3-monthly
4-less than one month
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p13
The water in this house comes from…? Read each
option until you get an affirmative response.
1-adueduct
2-reservoir
3-rural aqueduct
251
4-packaged water
5-other
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p19
What type of combustible is used to cook in this
house? Allow the interviewee to answer
spontaneously and if he/she doesn’t know, read
each option until you obtain an affirmative answer.
1-pipeline gas
2-liquid gas
3-electricity
4-carbon or wood
5-other
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p20
Does this house have a toilet inside the house,
outside the house or does it not have a toilet?
1-yes, inside the house
2-yes, outside the house
3-does not have a toilet
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p21b
Does this house have a washing machine?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p21c
Does this house have a dryer?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p21d
Does this house have a water heater?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p21g
Does this house have a telephone?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
p21j
Does this house have an air conditioning unit (at
least one)?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
l20a
How many siblings did you have in total?
(total siblings)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
(if l20a=0, -1 or -2, go to l21)
l20a2
How many of them are alive?
(number of siblings alive)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
(if l20a2=0, -1 or -2, go to l21)
mari_r61
Civil status
1-is married with papers
2-cohabitates without having
married
3-is widowed
4-is divorced
252
5-is separated
6-has never been married
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
mari_r62
Civil status (n2)
1-is married with papers
2-cohabitates without having
married
3-is widowed
4-is divorced
5-is separated
6-has never been married
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
mari_r63
Civil status (n3)
1-is married with papers
2-cohabitates without having
married
3-is widowed
4-is divorced
5-is separated
6-has never been married
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
dd61
The position in which the sibling is duplicated in
another roster.
0- not duplicated
2-duplicated in record 2
3-duplicated in record 3
4-duplicated in record 4
5- duplicated in record 5
7-duplicated in record 7
dd62
The position in which the second sibling is
duplicated in another roster.
0- not duplicated
2-duplicated in record 2
3-duplicated in record 3
4-duplicated in record 4
5- duplicated in record 5
7-duplicated in record 7
pos62
Position 2 in siblings roster.
(position)
pos63
Position 3 in siblings roster.
(position)
sexo_r61
Is [NAME of sibling in position 1] a man or a
woman? Interviewer: Ask only if you are unsure of
the gender.
1-man
2-woman
sexo_r62
Is [NAME of sibling in position 2] a man or a
woman? Interviewer: Ask only if you are unsure of
the gender.
1-man
2-woman
sexo_r63
Is [NAME of sibling in position 3] a man or a
woman? Interviewer: Ask only if you are unsure of
the gender.
1-man
2-woman
edad_r61
How old is [NAME of sibling in position 1]?
(age in years)
000-less than one year old
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
edad_r62
How old is [NAME of sibling in position 2]?
(age in years)
000-less than one year old
253
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
edad_r63
How old is [NAME of sibling in position 3]?
(age in years)
000-less than one year old
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
dond_r61
Where does [NAME of sibling in position 1] live? Let
the interviewee answer spontaneously and if you
don’t have specific enough information, read the
options that apply.
1-here in this house
2-in another house but in this
neighborhood
3-in another neighborhood but
in this same town
4-in another town in Puerto
Rico
5-in the United States
6-in another country
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
dond_r62
Where does [NAME of sibling in position 1] live? Let
the interviewee answer spontaneously and if you
don’t have specific enough information, read the
options that apply.
1-here in this house
2-in another house but in this
neighborhood
3-in another neighborhood but
in this same town
4-in another town in Puerto
Rico
5-in the United States
6-in another country
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
dond_r63
Where does [NAME of sibling in position 1] live? Let
the interviewee answer spontaneously and if you
don’t have specific enough information, read the
options that apply.
1-here in this house
2-in another house but in this
neighborhood
3-in another neighborhood but
in this same town
4-in another town in Puerto
Rico
5-in the United States
6-in another country
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d11
How many live births did you have? Do not include
stepchildren, adopted children, abortions, or
stillbirths.
number of children
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d12
How many of these children are still alive?
number of children alive
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d13
How many stepchildren do you have who are still
alive?
number of stepchildren
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d14
How many [of] your adopted children and children
you raised (who were not your biological or adopted
children) are still alive?
number of adopted or raised
children
-1-does not know
254
-2-does not answer
c1num
So that there is/are [number] of individual(s) who
form(s) a part of this household?
(number of individuals in the
household)
Table N3. Early Life Conditions
Panel N3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a2_a
In which month and year were you born?
(year)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
a2_m
In which month and year were you born?
(month)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
a3
In which country were you born?
1-in Puerto Rico in this
municipality
2-another municipality in
Puerto Rico
3-in the United States
4-in the Dominican Republic
5-in another country
a3e_2
In which country were you born? State in the US.
3- state in the United States
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
a3m_2
In which country were you born? Another municipality
in Puerto Rico
(name of municipality
a3m_2_
update
Constructed variable within PREHCO, refers to birth
municipality.
(name of municipality)
o1e_2
Where did you live during most of your life before
turning 18 years old? If he/she answers in Puerto Rico,
inquire as to which municipality. If the interviewee
indicates the United States, inquire as to which state.
If the interviewee indicates another country, inquire as
to which country. Use census codes for the
municipality and the state.
(name of state in the United
States)
o1m_2
Where did you live during most of your life before
turning 18 years old? If he/she answers in Puerto Rico,
inquire as to which municipality. If the interviewee
indicates the United States, inquire as to which state.
If the interviewee indicates another country, inquire as
to which country. Use census codes for the
municipality and the state.
(name of other municipality in
Puerto Rico)
o1
Where did you live during most of your life before
turning 18 years old?
1-in Puerto Rico in this
municipality
2-in another municipality in
Puerto Rico
3-in the United States
4-in the Dominican Republic
5-in another country
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
255
o2
Would you say that before turning 18 years old you
lived mostly in the countryside, in the city, in the
suburbs or in another place?
1-in the countryside
2-in the city
3-in the suburbs
4-another place
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
o10a
How many times did you live in the United States for
three months or more after turning 18?
number of times
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
o10b
How many years in total did you live in the United
States?
number of years
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
o3
Did you move to another city, to the United States or
to some other country after turning 18 years old?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
o4
How many times did you move from one city to
another, to the United States or to another country
after turning 18 years old?
(number of times)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
o6
Where did you live before moving to the town where
you currently live?
1--in Puerto Rico in this
municipality
2-in another municipality in
Puerto Rico
3-in the United States
4-in the Dominican Republic
5-in another country
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
o8
o11
o9
Where did you go live the first time you moved after
turning 18?
Do you currently spend three or more months per year
outside of the United States, that is do you come and
go for spells of time?
For how many years did you live in [place named in
o8]
1-in Puerto Rico in this
municipality
2-in another municipality in
Puerto Rico
3-in the United States
4-in the Dominican Republic
5-in another country
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
1-Yes
2-No
-1-Does not know
-2-Does not answer
(years)
Panel N3.1. Childhood Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
h14
How would you describe your health as a child or
1-excellent
256
adolescent? Would you say your health as a child or
adolescent was excellent, very good, good, average, or
bad?
2-very good
3-good
4-average
5-bad
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h15
When you were a child or adolescent, how many times
were you unable to go to school for one month or more
because you were ill? Would you say never, once,
occasionally or many times?
1-never
2-once
3-occasionally
4-many times
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h16
When you were a child or adolescent, did you stop
doing something that children your age commonly do
because of health problems? Would you say this
happened frequently, occasionally, or never?
1-frequently
2-occasionally
3-never
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17a
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Typhus fever
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17b
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Hepatitis
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17c
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Tuberculosis
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17d
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Rheumatic fever
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17e
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Polio
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17f
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Malaria
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17g
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Dengue
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17h
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Measles
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17i
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
1-yes
2-no
257
were a child or adolescent? Chicken pox
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17j
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Mumps
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17k
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Small pox
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17l
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Pneumonia
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17m
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Asthma
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h17n
I’m going to name some illnesses. Could you tell me if
you remember suffering from any of these when you
were a child or adolescent? Chronic bronchitis
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N3.3. Childhood Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g171a_1
Could you tell me approximately how tall you are?
(measurement in feet)
g171a_2
Could you tell me approximately how tall you are?
(measurement in inches)
u1_p
Height in inches.
(inches)
u2_p
Circumference of waist in inches.
(inches)
u3_p
Circumference of hip in inches.
(inches)
u5_p
Height of knee in inches.
(inches)
wu6ch
Chair height.
(inches)
wu6e_1
Height from the head to the height of the chair.
(inches)
-15-does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to the
deceased target
wu6e_2
Height from the head to the floor.
(inches)
-15-does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to the
deceased target
-3-undetermined, data
unavailable
wu6l1
Computed length of the leg.
(inches)
wu6l2
Computed length of the leg.
(inches)
Panel N3.4. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
h1
In general, would you say that the economic
conditions in the household in which you grew up
were good, average or bad?
1-good
2-average
3-bad
-1-does not know
258
-2-does not answer
h2
Did you suffer economic hardship that prevented you
from eating regularly, adequately clothing yourself or
receiving the necessary medical attention?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h2a
Did your father know how to read? Interviewer: If
necessary, clarify that you mean the father that raised
him/her.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h2b
Did your father know how to write?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h3a
What level of education did your father complete?
0-he did not go to school
1-he went to school but he did
not complete eighth grade
2-he went to school and he
completed eighth grade or
higher
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
code_h4
Father’s occupation.
(codified variable, write the
occupation as indicated by the
interviewee. For information
on the codes, please refer to
the PREHCO website:
prehco.rcm.upr.edu.
rcode_h
4
What type of occupation would you say was the
primary occupation of your father?
(write the occupation as
indicated by the interviewee)
1-management occupations
2-professional and related
occupations
3-services and sales
occupations
4-offices and administrative
support occupations
5-farming, fishing, and
forestry occupations
6-construction, extraction and
maintenances occupations
7-production, transportation
and material moving
occupations
0-not applicable
99-missing
h6
Do you remember by chance if your father was
unemployed for long periods of time? Would you say
this occurred frequently, occasionally, never or when it
was no longer harvest season? Interviewer: If
necessary, clarify that long periods of time means a
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
259
period of one month or more.
1-frequently
2-occaisionally
3-never
4-when it was no longer
harvest season
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h6_1
Do you remember by chance if your father was
unemployed for long periods of time?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h6_2
Would you say this occurred frequently, occasionally,
never or when it was no longer harvest season?
1-frequently
2-occasionally
3-never
4-when it was no longer
harvest season
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h6a
Did your mother know how to read? Interviewer: If
necessary, clarify that you mean the mother that raised
him/her.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h6b
Did your mother know how to write?
1-yes
2-n0
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h6c
What level of education did your mother complete?
0-she did not go to school
1-she went to school but she
did not complete eighth grade
2-she went to school and she
completed eighth grade or
higher
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h6d
What type of occupation would you say was the
primary occupation of your mother?
000-homemaker
1-other
code_h6
d
What type of occupation would you say was the
occupation of your mother (if answered 1-other to h6d,
please specify)?
(codified variable, write the
occupation as indicated by the
interviewee)
(specify)
h7_1
Do you remember by chance if your mother was
unemployed for long periods of time?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h7_2
Would you say this occurred frequently, occasionally,
never or when it was no longer harvest season?
1-frequently
2-occasionally
3-never
4-when it was no longer
harvest season
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
260
h8
When you were a child or adolescent, were there
periods of time in which you and your siblings had to
leave school and work in order to help your parents?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
h8a
Did your parents get divorced before you turned 15
years old?
1-yes
2-no
3-my parents never lived
together
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d15
Is your biological or blood-related father alive?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d17
How old was your biological or blood-related father
when he died?
(age)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
d18
Is your biological or blood-related mother alive?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not answer
-2-does not answer
d20
How old was your biological or blood-related mother
when she died?
(age)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Table N4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel N4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g161
Have you smoked one hundred cigarettes or more in
your life?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g162
Do you currently smoke?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N4.2. Adult Exercise
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g167
In the last year, have you engaged in any of the
following activities: sports, jogging, walking, dancing
or heavy labor, three or more times a week?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g155
In the last 3 months, on average, how many days a
week have you consumed alcoholic beverages (like for
example beer, wine, rum or another drink that has
alcohol)?
1-he/she did not consume any
2-less than one day a week
3-one day a week
4-two or three days a week
5-four to six days a week
261
6-every day
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N4.4. Adult Diet
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g154
How many complete meals do you make a day,
including breakfast?
(number of meals)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N4.5. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
k25
How many times have you gone to the doctor’s office
in the last twelve months?
(number of times)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
k30
How many times have you visited the office of one of
these professionals in the last twelve months? These
include therapists, dieticians, nutritionists, podiatrists,
optometrists, audiologists, and chiropractors.
(number)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Table N5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel N5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g1
Would you say that you’re currently in excellent
health, very good health, good health, average health,
or bad health?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-average
5-bad
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g2
Compared to your health last year, would you say that
your current health is better, the same or worse?
1-better
2-same
3-worse
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g3
Compared to other people your age, would you say
that your health is better, the same or worse?
1-better
2-same
3-worse
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g171b
Could you tell me approximately how much you
weigh?
(weight in pounds)
u4_l
Weight in pounds.
(pounds)
u6*
Look at me first. Then choose the foot you will stand
on to keep your balance and very gently raise the
other leg from the floor. Try to keep this position for
10 seconds.
u6_1- Were you able to take this measurement?
u6_p- Which leg did the interviewee stand on?
262
u6_s- Duration of time in seconds
u6_3- Reason you were unable to take measurement
1-yes
2-no
1-right
2-left
(seconds)
1-I tried but was unable to take
measurement
2-Unable to take measurement
; interviewer did not feel safe
3-Unable to take
measurement; interviewee did
not feel safe
4-Interviewee refused
5-Unable to take measurement
because interviewee is
bedridden or in wheelchair
6-Unable to take measurement
because interviewee uses a
walker, cane, or other such
item
9- Unable to take measurement
for some other reason
u7*
Now we will do the final test of this section of the
interview. This test is known as the “stand up and
walk” and consists of your standing up from a chair
without using your arms to support yourself and
walking to the area I point out to you. Now I will show
you how to do it.
u7_1- Were you able to take this measurement?
u7_p- Which leg did the interviewee stand on?
u7_s- Duration of time in seconds
u7_3- Reason you were unable to take measurement
1-yes
2-no
1-right
2-left
(seconds)
Wu6a
Leg length measure
1-I tried but was unable to take
measurement
2-Unable to take measurement
; interviewer did not feel safe
3-Unable to take
measurement; interviewee did
not feel safe
4-Interviewee refused
5-Unable to take measurement
because interviewee is
bedridden or in wheelchair
6-Unable to take measurement
because interviewee uses a
walker, cane, or other such
item
9- Unable to take measurement
for some other reason
263
1-see instructions for how to
measure leg length
2-measure leg length
Wu6c
Measurement taken
1-yes
2-no
-14-does not apply to the
deceased target
-15-does not apply to the
institutionalized target
Wu6d
Reason for not performing
1 -decided it was not safe for
the respondent
2-respondent did not feel safe
3-respondent refused
4-other reason (specify)
-15-does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14 -does not apply to the
deceased target
Panel N5.3. Self-Reported Health and Vignettes
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
WG3a
In general during the last 30 days, how much energy
(ánimo) would you say you have had?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3a1
In general during the last 30 days, how much energy
(energía) would you say you have had?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3a2
In general during the last 30 days, how much pain
(dolor) have you felt in your body?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
264
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3a3
In general during the last 30 days, how much
discomfort (malestar) have you felt in your body?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3b1
In general during the last 30 days, how much trouble
did you have moving from one place to another
(moverse de un lugar a otro)?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3b2
In general during the last 30 days, how much trouble
did you have doing vigorous activities such as cutting
the grass or washing windows (realizar actividades
intensas como cortar la grama o lavar las ventanas)?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3b3
In general during the last 30 days, how much trouble
did you have concentrating or remembering things
(concentrarse o recordar cosas)?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3b4
In general during the last 30 days, how much trouble
did you have learning a new thing (aprender una
nueva tarea)?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
265
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3b5
In general during the last 30 days, how much trouble
did you have you felt sad or depressed (sintió triste,
decaido o deprimido)?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
WG3b6wg
3c2a
In general during the last 30 days, how much trouble
did you have you felt worried or anxious
(preocupación o ansiedad)?
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
-15-does not apply to
institutionalized target
-14-does not apply to deceased
target
-5 does not apply to proxy-
target
wg3c2b,
wg3c3a,
wg3c3b
Body aches
-15 -Does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-Does not apply to the
deceased target
-5-Does not apply to proxy-
target
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
wg3d1a,
wg3d2a,
wg3d3a
Encouragement
-15 -Does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-Does not apply to the
deceased target
-5-Does not apply to proxy-
target
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
266
wg3d1b,
wg3d2b,
wg3d3b
Energy
-15 -Does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-Does not apply to the
deceased target
-5-Does not apply to proxy-
target
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
wg3e1a,
wg3e2a,
wg3e3a
Difficulty concentrating
-15 -Does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-Does not apply to the
deceased target
-5-Does not apply to proxy-
target
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
wg3f1a,
wg3f2a,
wg3f3a
Feel sad or depressed
-15 -Does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-Does not apply to the
deceased target
-5-Does not apply to proxy-
target
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
wg3f1b,
wg3f2b,
wg3f3b
Feel worry or anxiety
-15 -Does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-14-Does not apply to the
deceased target
-5-Does not apply to proxy-
target
1-very much
2-a lot
3-some
4-a little
5-none
Panel N5.4. Functionality (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
i1
Have you had difficulty using the telephone due to a
health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
267
-2-does not answer
i1a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i1b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i2
Have you had difficulty getting anywhere you had to
go using transportation due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i2a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i2b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i3
Have you had difficulty buying food or clothes due to
a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i3a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i3b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i4
Have you had difficulty preparing food for yourself
due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i4a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
268
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i4b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i5
Have you had difficulty doing household chores due
to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i5a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i5b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i6
Have you had difficulty taking medication due to a
health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i6a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i6b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i7
Have you had difficulty managing your money on
your own due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i9
Have you had difficulty eating due to a health
problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
269
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i9a
Who is person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i9b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i10
Have you had difficulty getting dressed or undressing
due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i10a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i10b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i11
Have you had difficulty using the toilet due to a health
problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i11a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i11b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i12
Have you had difficulty walking from one side of your
room to the other due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i12a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
270
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i12b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i13
Have you had difficulty getting up from or lying down
in your bed due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i13a
Who is the person that most helps you?
(specify)
-1- does not know
-2 does not answer
i13b
How many times in the last month has (NAME)
helped you?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
-1- does not know
-2- does not answer
i14
Have you had difficulty taking a bath or showering
due to a health problem?
1-yes
2-no
3-cannot do it
4-does not do it/does not apply
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
i17
How would you evaluate your ability to function day-
to-day? Would you say that your ability to function
day-to-day is excellent, very good, good, average, or
bad?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-average
5-bad
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N5.5. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
g4
Has a doctor ever told you that you have high blood
pressure, that is, hypertension?
1-yes
2-nogo to g8
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g7
Is your blood pressure generally under control?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g8
Has a doctor every told you that you have diabetes,
that is, high levels of sugar in your blood?
1-yes
2-nogo to g22
-1-does not know
271
-2-does not answer
g8a_a
How old were you when you were diagnosed with
diabetes for the first time? If the interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(year)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g8a_e
How old were you when you were diagnosed with
diabetes for the first time? If the interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(age)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g8a_m
How old were you when you were diagnosed with
diabetes for the first time? If the interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(month)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g8aedad
How old were you when you were diagnosed with
diabetes for the first time? If the interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(age calculated by CASES)
g9
Are you currently taking any oral medication to
control your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g10
Do you receive insulin shots to control your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g11
In order to control your diabetes, during the last year,
have you lost weight or have you followed a special
diet?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g12
Is your diabetes generally under control?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g13
Do you usually measure your own blood sugar level to
see if it’s high?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g14
How often do you do the blood sugar tests to see if
your blood sugar is high?
1-every day of the week
2-2 or 3 times a week
3-once a week
4-2 or 3 times a month
5-once a month or less
6-other
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g15
During the last year, did you have blood work done to
control your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g16
Does taking care of your diabetes (like for example
dieting, taking care of your feet or regulating your
blood sugar level) interfere with your daily activities?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g17
Have you had any circulation problems in your feet,
arms or legs because of your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
272
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g18
Have you had any vision problems because of your
diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g19
In the last year, have you had any problems with
ulcers in your feet?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g20
Has any part of your body been amputated because of
your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g21
Have you ever had any renal complications (in your
kidneys) because of your diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g24
Has a doctor ever told you that you have some other
form of cancer or a malignant tumor, not on your
skin?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g31
Has a doctor every told you that you have a chronic
pulmonary disease like bronchitis, tuberculosis or
emphysema?
1-yes
2-nogo to g35
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g32_e
How old were you when you were diagnosed with that
chronic pulmonary disease? If interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(age)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g32_a
How old were you when you were diagnosed with that
chronic pulmonary disease? If interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(year)
g32_m
How old were you when you were diagnosed with that
chronic pulmonary disease? If interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(month)
g32edad
How old were you when you were diagnosed with that
chronic pulmonary disease? If interviewee does not
know the age, ask for the year and calculate the age.
(age calculated with month and
year)
g35
Have you ever suffered a heart attack?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g36
Has a doctor every told you that you have heart
disease such as angina, coronary disease or congestive
heart disease?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g37edad
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
your heart condition or defect?
(age)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g38
Do you take any kind of medication for your heart
condition?
1-yes
2-no
273
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g39
During the last year, have you seen a doctor for your
heart condition?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g40
Has a doctor ever told you that you have had a brain
hemorrhage?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g49
Has a doctor ever told you that you have arthritis or
rheumatism?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g69
During the last year, have you felt chest pain or
discomfort?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g70
Have you ever felt pressure in your chest?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g71
Do you feel this pain or discomfort in your chest when
you walk quickly or go up inclines?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g72
Do you feel this pain or discomfort in your chest when
you walk at a normal pace and on level ground?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g73
What do you do if you feel that pain or discomfort in
your chest when you’re walking? Do you stop walking,
walk more slowly, or do you continue walking?
1-stops walking or walks more
slowly
2-continues walking
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g74
What happens if you stop walking? Is the pain or
discomfort alleviated or does it continue?
1-the pain or discomfort is
alleviated
2-the pain or discomfort
continues
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g75
How long does the pain or discomfort take to go
away? Would you say it takes ten minutes or less or
more than ten minutes?
1-the pain or discomfort is
alleviated
2-the pain or discomfort
continues
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g76
In the last year, have you gone to see a doctor to get
this pain or discomfort checked?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
274
g77_code
(g77)
What did the doctor tell you this pain or discomfort
was?
(codified variable)
0-doctor said nothing
1-angina
2-
arthritis/costopondritis/osteoa
rthritis
3-respiratory problems
(asthma/bronchitis/allergy)
4-arrhythmia or tachycardia
5-nerve problems
(tension/stress/depression,
etc.)
6-hernia or esophageal
7-heart problems
8-gastritis or reflux
9-blood pressure
10-problem musculoskeletal
11-stroke
12-diabetes
13-obesity
14-gases
15-age
16-circulatory problems
17-prescribed medicines/lab
studies or test
18-cholesterol/triglycerides
50-other
99-not codeable
-12 not applicable, no spouse
-7 –no spouse interview
-6-doesnot apply to proxy-
spouse
-5-does not apply to proxy-
target
-3-indeterminate-wisconsin
-2-does not answer
-1-does not know
g107
In Puerto Rico there are many people suffering from
bilarciosis. Have you ever been diagnosed with this
illness?
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g109
Is there anyone in your family that suffers from
diabetes? Please include any deceased members of the
family as well.
1-one of the parents
2-one of the siblings
3-no one (neither parents nor
siblings)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110a
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Excessive thirst.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
275
g110b
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Drinking many liquids.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110c
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Always being hungry.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110d
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Losing more than ten pounds without
trying to.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110e
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Frequent urination.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110f
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Blurred vision.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110g
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Easily fatigued.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110h
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Numbness in your hands and legs.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g110i
I’m going to read you a list of symptoms. I would like
for you to tell me if you’ve experienced any of them in
the last year. Frequent urinary, skin or gum
infections.
1-yes
2-no
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g37_e
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
your heart condition or defect?
(age)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g37_a
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
your heart condition or defect?
(year)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
g37_m
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
your heart condition or defect?
(month)
-1-does not know
-2-does not answer
Panel N5.6. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
cause_re
code_72
NDI recoded cause of death.
For details regarding codes,
please refer to the PREHCO
website: prehco.rcm.upr.edu
wamor
Whether respondent is alive or not.
1-yes, alive
2-no, not alive
wy1_d
Date of death.
(day)
wy1_m
Date of death.
(month)
-18-does not apply to the
276
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Palloni,
A., & Dávila, A.L. Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO), Wave 2, 2006-2007.
QM-504-002-1-2-Puerto Rico-DISC-2006. Madison, WI: Data and Information Services Center,
University of Wisconsin-Madison [distributor], accessed 2007-07-17.
http://www.disc.wisc.edu/archive/prehco/index_prehco2.html.
Notes:
The data file for Puerto Rico also contains several variables pertaining to the respondents’
occupation as an adult (section n), migration (section o), helping or receiving help (section i);
vignettes collected in second wave of data collection (variables beginning with “w”) and spousal
information (all variables starting with a "y").
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table N2. There are several variables on migration in Section O of the questionnaire.
Note A, Panel N2.3. There is an SES ladder question in Section E of the 2002 Questionnaire.
These variables were used to compute income: n51a_2, n51a_3, n51b_2, n51b_3, n51c_2,
n51c_3, n51g_2, n51g_3, n51h_2, n51h_3, n51i_2, n51i_3, n51j_2, n51j_3, n51k_2, n51k_3,
n51l_2, and n51l_3.
There are numerous variables available in Section N that provide further detail on the
respondents’ work history and sources of income.
Note A, Panel N4.1. There are several additional questions on smoking in Section G of the 2002
Questionnaire (g163-g166).
Note A, Panel N4.3. There are several additional questions on alcoholism in Section G of the
2002 Questionnaire (g156-g180).
Note A, Table N5. There are additional symptom questions for heart disease starting at question
g78. There are also questions on depression (g148-g153 and g171-g185). There is also a
depression scale calculated by PREHCO (depre_y).
regular target
-15-does not apply to the
institutionalized target
-5-does not apply to the proxy-
target
wy1_a
Date of death.
(year)
ywy3
Cause of death.
1-heart disease
2-cancer
3-diabetes
4-hypertension
5-pulminary disease
6-stroke
7-other cause
277
Note A, Panel N5.2. There are additional questions regarding whether the respondent receives
help with these tasks and how often they need to receive help. There is a minimental cognition
test in Section B of the 2002 Questionnaire.
There are five versions of vignettes available. Vignette one includes variables WG3c1-WG3d2,
vignette two includes variables WG3c1-WG3d2, vignette three includes variables WG3e1-
WG3f2, vignette four includes variables WG3g1-WG3f2, and vignette five includes variables
WG3g2-WG3f3.
Note A, Panel N5.4. There are additional variables in Section I of the questionnaire which
provide more detail on the respondents’ functionality, including whether or not the respondent
receives help with their daily tasks.
NOTE B.
Puerto Rico has additional variables on early life conditions such as infant mortality (IMR)
during the 1920s through early 1940s in the county (municipio) where the respondent was born.
It also includes information regarding vignettes.
278
Appendix O: SAGE countries original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the SAGE countries survey that
were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the SAGE countries data
that should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table O1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q0001
Research centre number.
101-China
106-India
140-Mexico
152-Russian Federation
155-South Africa
241-Ghana
q0002
Household ID.
q0002a
Is this a (18-49 years) or (50+ years) household?
1-18 to 49
2-50+
q0003
Is this a new, second (follow-up from WHS), retest
or proxy interview?
1-first (new)
2-second (follow-up)
3-retest
4-proxy
5-supervisor proxy
q0007a
Final result code Household Q:
(See Section 0350 [F] for
codes)
1-completed interview
2-partial interview
6-final refusal by household
informant
q0101a
Primary Sampling Unit (PSU)
q0901
Was someone else present during the interview?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q0902
What is your evaluation of the accuracy of the
informant’s answers?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q0405
What is [Name]’s relationship to the household
head?
1-spouse
2-son or daughter
3-son or daughter-in-law
4-grandchild
5-parent
6-parent-in-law
279
7-brother or sister
8-co-wife
9-grandparent
10-other relative
11-not related (friends,
servants, boarders, lodgers,
other)
88-don’t know
98-not applicable
q1000b
Contact with:
1-individual respondent
2-proxy respondent
3-no one
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1006
Household ID.
q1007
Person (HH member) number from HH roster
(number from column).
(number)
pweight
post-stratified person weight
q0104
Setting (circle one). An urban area that has been
legally proclaimed as being urban. Such areas
include towns, cities and metropolitan areas. All
other areas are not classified as being urban. This
includes commercial farms, small settlements,
rural villages and other areas which are further
away from towns and cities.
1-urban
2-rural
q0105a
First Administrative Level Unit Name
q0105b
First Administrative Level Unit Code
(code)
99-not applicable if unit is
not in appendix list
q0106a
Second Administrative Level Unit Name
q0106b
Second Administrative Level Unit Code
(code)
99-not applicable if unit is
not in appendix list
q9001
Was someone else present during the interview?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9002
Did respondent have a hearing problem?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9003
Did respondent have a vision problem?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9004
Did respondent use wheelchair?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
280
q9005
Did respondent use cane/crutches/walker?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9006
Did respondent have difficulties walking?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9007
Did respondent have paralysis?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9008
Did respondent cough continually?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9009
Did respondent have shortness of breath?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9010
Did respondent have mental problems?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9011
Did respondent have other health problem?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9012
Did respondent have amputated limb (arm or
leg)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-NA
q9013
What is your assessment of the respondent’s
cooperation?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q9014
What is your evaluation of the accuracy and
completeness of the respondent’s answers?
1-very high
2-high
3-average
4-low
5-very low
Table O2. Demographics
Panel O2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q1009
Interviewer: Record sex of the respondent.
1-male
281
2-female
q1010_dd
What day were you born?
(day)
-8-don’t know
q1010_mm
What month were you born?
(month)
-8-don’t know
q1010_yyyy
What year were you born?
(year)
-8-don’t know
q1011
How old are you now? Interviewer: This would be
age at last birthday. If don’t know—probe.
age in years
-8-don’t know
q1012
What is your current marital status?
1-never married
2-currently married
3-cohabiting
4-separated/divorced
5-widowed
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
Panel O2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q1018
(Ghana)
What is your background or ethnic group?
1-Akan
2-Ewe
3-Ga-Adangbe
4-Gruma
5-Grusi
6-Guan
7-Mande-Busanga
8-Mole-Dagbon
87-Other
88-Don’t know
q1018
(India)
What is your background or ethnic group?
1-Scheduled tribe
2-Scheduled caste
3-No caste or tribe
7-Other
98-Not applicable
q1018
(Mexico)
What is your background or ethnic group?
0-None
2-Mixteco
3-Nahuatl
6-Zapoteco
87-Other
88-Don’t know
q1018
(South Africa)
What is your background or ethnic group?
0-White
1-Non-White
87, other specify
88-don’t know
98-not applicable
q1008
What is your mother tongue? By mother tongue,
we mean the language you learned first, the
language that you can express yourself fully in, or
voluntarily identify with.
1-country-specific 1
2-country-specific 2
3-country-specific 3
4…87-other, specify
88-don’t know
Note: Variable q1018 exists for Russia and China; value labels could not be found.
282
Panel O2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q0506
What is the main source of drinking water for
members of this household?
1-piped water into dwelling
2-piped water to yard/plot
3-public tap/standpipe
4-tubewell/borehole
5-protected dug well
6-unprotected dug well
7-protected spring
8-unprotected spring
9-rainwater collection
10-bottle water
11-small scale vendor
12-tanker-truck
13-surface water (river, dam,
lake, pond, stream, canal,
irrigation channels)
87-other, specify
88-don’t know
98-not applicable
q0508
What type of toilet facility do members of your
household usually use? If respondent indicates
“flush” or “pour flush,” probe: Where does it flush
to?
1-flush/pour flush to piped
sewer system
2-flush/pour flush to septic
tank
3-flush/pour flush to pit
latrine
4-flush/pour flush to other
location
5-flush/pour flush to
unknown place/not sure
6-ventilated improved pit
latrine (VIP)
7-pit latrine with slab
8-pit latrine without
slab/open pit
9-composting toilet
10-bucket latrine
11-hanging toilet/hanging
latrine
12-no facilities or bush or
field
87-other, specify
88-don’t know
98-not applicable
q0510
What type of fuel does your household mainly use
for cooking?
1-gas
2-electricity
3-kerosene/paraffin
4-coal/charcoal
5-wood
6-agriculture/crop
283
7-animal dung
8-shrubs/grass
87-other, specify
88-don’t know
98-not applicable
q0511
In this household, is food cooked on an open fire,
an open or closed stove? Interviewer: indicate
main type.
1-open fire
2-open stove
3-closed stove
7-other, specify
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q0702
(Mexico)
Do you have a security system in your home?
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
q0702
(Ghana)
How many tables are in the household?
-8-don’t know
q0702
(South Africa)
How many tables are in the household?
-8-don’t know
q0702
(Russia)
Do you have a security system in your home?
(alarm, reinforced doors, guards, etc.)
1-yes
2-no
-8-don’t know
q0702
(China)
How many tables are in your household?
-8-don’t know
q0702
(India)
How many tables are in your household?
-8-don’t know
q0703
How many cars are there in your household? If
none, enter “00.”
(number)
-8-don’t know
q0704
Does your home have electricity?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0705
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a bicycle?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0706
(South Africa)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a built-in kitchen sink?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0706
(Ghana)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a clock?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0706
(Mexico)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a built-in kitchen sink?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0706
(Russia)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a clock?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0706
(China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a microwave?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0706
(India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a clock?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
284
q0707
(South Africa,
Mexico,
China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have hot running water?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0707
(Ghana,
Russia, India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a bucket?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0708
(Ghana, South
Africa, Mexico,
China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a washing machine?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0708
(Russia, India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a cot bed or mattress?
1-yes
2-no
8-don't know
q0709
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a dishwasher?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0710
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a refrigerator?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0711
(Mexico)
Does your household or anyone in your household
employ someone in house who is not a member of
your family (gardener, cook, cleaner, driver,…)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0711
(Ghana, South
Africa, Russia,
China, India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a fixed line telephone?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0712
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a mobile/cellular telephone?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0713
(Mexico)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a bullock cart/animal drawn car or sled?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0713
(Ghana,
Russia, India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a television?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0713
(South Africa)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a radio?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0713
(China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a VCR or DVD player?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0714
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a computer?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0715
(South Africa,
Mexico)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a HiFi or music centre (stereo system)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0715
(Ghana,
China, India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a radio?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
285
q0715
(Russia)
Does your household or anyone in your household
employ someone in house who is not a member of
your family (gardener, cook, cleaner, driver,…)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0716
(Ghana, South
Africa, Mexico,
China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have livestock (cattle, goats, pigs, poultry)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0716 (India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have livestock (cattle only)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0717
(Mexico,
Russia, China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have internet access in the home?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0717 (Ghana,
South Africa,
India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a sewing machine?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0718 (South
Africa,
Mexico)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a motorbike?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0718 (Ghana)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a tractor?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0718 (China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have an air conditioning system in the home?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0718 (India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a moped/scooter/motorcycle?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0719 (Ghana,
Mexico,
Russia)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a second home?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0719 (South
Africa, India)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a bullock cart/animal drawn cart or sled?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0719 (China)
Does your household or anyone in your household
have a heating system in the home?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
q0720
Please tell us if you own any land or jewelry and
other items of value. Land or property?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-refused
q0721
Please tell us if you own any land or jewelry and
other items of value. Other valuable items, such as
jewelry, books, art or other valuable items?
1-yes
2-no
8-dk
9-refused
q0720a
About how much is this worth in total? Land or
property?
(cash equivalent)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
q0721a
About how much is this worth in total? Other
valuable items, such as jewelry, books, art or other
(cash equivalent)
-8-don’t know
286
valuable items?
-9-refused
q0722
Does your household have a regular source of
income? Interviewer: Regular income over the last
12 months, meaning that the household can
depend on a source to provide an income at
intervals that can be used to base household
budget decisions.
1-yes, regular source
2-yes, regular but seasonal
3-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q0724
So to verify this information, your approximate
total household income from all sources over the
last 12 months is about how much?
(income)
-8-don’t know
q0725
How many people depend on this income?
(Interviewer: This number should include the
respondent—so enter “01” if only the respondent
depends on/is supported by this income.)
(number of people)
-8-don’t know
q1015
Have you ever been to school?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1016
What is the highest level of education that you
have completed?
1-less than primary school
2-primary school completed
3-secondary school
completed
4-high school (or equivalent)
completed
5-college/pre-
university/university
completed
6-post graduate degree
completed
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1017
How many years of school, including higher
education have you completed?
(number of years)
-8-don’t know
Panel O2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q0401
What is the total number of people who live in this
household?
(persons)
Table O3. Early Life Conditions
Panel O3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q1024
Where did you live for most of your childhood
(age 9 or younger)?
1-in same
community/locality/neighbo
rhood
2-in another city in this
region
3-in another rural area in
this region
4-in another city outside this
region but in country
287
5-in another rural area
outside this region but in
country
6-outside the country
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1020
Have you always lived in this village/town/city?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1021
How long have you been living (continuously) in
this area? Interviewer: If less than 1 year, enter
“00.”
(years)
-8-don’t know
q1022
Where were you living before?
1-in same
community/locality/neighbo
rhood
2-in another city in this
region
3-in another rural area in
this region
4-in another city outside this
region in country
5-in another rural area
outside this region but in
country
6-outside the country
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1023
Where have you lived for most of your adult life
(18+ years)?
1-in same
community/locality/neighbo
rhood
2-in another city in this
region
3-in another rural area in
this region
4-in another city outside this
region in country
5-in another rural area
outside this region but in
country
6-outside the country
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q0104
Setting (circle one). An urban area that has been
legally proclaimed as being urban. Such areas
include towns, cities and metropolitan areas. All
other areas that are not classified as being urban.
This includes commercial farms, small
settlements, rural villages and other areas which
are further away from towns and cities.
1-urban
2-rural
q1010_dd
What day were you born?
(day)
288
-8-don’t know
q1010_mm
What month were you born?
(month)
-8-don’t know
q1010_yyyy
What year were you born?
(year)
-8-don’t know
Panel O3.3. Childhood Nutrition
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q2504
What is your height in centimeters?
(centimeters)
-8-don’t know
q2505
What is your weight in kilograms?
(kilograms)
-8-don’t know
q2506
Measured height in centimeters.
(centimeters)
997-refused
998-not able
q2507
Measured weight in kilograms.
(kilograms)
997-refused
998-not able
q2508
Waist circumference.
(centimeters)
997-refused
998-not able
q2509
Hip circumference.
(centimeters)
-8-don’t know
997-refused
998-not able
Panel O3.4.Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q1025
Was your mother ever employed?
1-yes
2-no
8- DK
q1026
Who is/was your mother’s main employer over
her working life?
1-public sector (government)
2-private sector (for profit or
not for profit)
3-self-employed
4-informal employment
q1027
What is/was her [your mother’s] main
occupation?
write exactly what the
respondent says-clarify if
you do not understand-write
clearly in capital letters
-8-don’t know
q1028
What is the highest level of education that she
[your mother] completed?
0-no formal education
1-less than primary school
2-primary school completed
3-secondary school
completed
4-high school (or equivalent)
completed
5-college/pre-
university/university
completed
6-post graduate degree
completed
289
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1032
What is the highest level of education that he
[your father] completed?
0-no formal education
1-less than primary school
2-primary school completed
3-secondary school
completed
4-high school (or equivalent)
completed
5-college/pre-
university/university
completed
6-post graduate degree
completed
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1029
Was your father ever employed?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1030
Who is/was your father’s main employer over his
working life?
1-public sector (government)
2-private sector (for profit or
not for profit)
3-self-employed
4-informal employment
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q1031
What is/was his [your father’s] main occupation?
write exactly what the
respondent says-clarify if
you do not understand--
write clearly in capital letters
-8-don’t know
Table O4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel O4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q3001
Have you ever smoked tobacco or used smokeless
tobacco?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3002
Do you currently use (smoke, sniff or chew) any
tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes,
chewing tobacco or snuff?
1-yes, daily
2-yes, but not daily
3-no, not at all
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3005
In the past, did you ever smoke tobacco or use
smokeless tobacco daily?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
Panel O4.2. Adult Exercise
290
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q3016
Does your work involve vigorous-intensity activity
that causes large increases in breathing or heart rate,
[like heavy lifting, digging or chopping wood] for at
least 10 minutes continuously?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3017
In a typical week, on how many days do you do
vigorous-intensity activities as part of your work?
(days)
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3018
How much time do you spend doing vigorous-
intensity activities at work on a typical day?
(hours and minutes)
-8-don’t know
q3019
Does your work involve moderate-intensity activity
that causes small increases in breathing or heart rate
(such as brisk walking, carrying light loads, cleaning,
cooking, or washing clothes) for at least 10 minutes
continuously?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3025
Do you do any vigorous intensity sports, fitness or
recreational (leisure) activities that cause large
increase in breathing or heart rate [like running or
football], for at least 10 minutes continuously?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3026
In a typical week, on how many days do you do
vigorous intensity sports, fitness or recreational
(leisure) activities?
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3027
How much time do you spend doing vigorous
intensity sports, fitness or recreational activities on a
typical day?
-8-don’t know
q3028
Do you do any moderate-intensity sports, fitness or
recreational (leisure) activities that causes a small
increase in breathing or heart rate [such as brisk
walking, cycling or swimming] for at least 10
minutes at a time? (Insert examples and use
showcard.)
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
Panel O4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q3007
Have you ever consumed a drink that contains
alcohol (such as beer, wine, spirits, etc.)?
1-yes
2-no, never
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3008
Have you consumed alcohol in the last 30 days?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3010
In the last 12 months, how frequently [on how many
days] on average have you had at least one alcoholic
drink?
0-no days
1-less than once a month
2-one to three days per
month
3-one to four days per week
4-five or more days per week
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3011
In the last 12 months, on the days you drank
alcoholic beverages, how many drinks did you have
(drinks)
-8-don’t know
291
on average?
Panel O4.4. Adult Diet
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q3012
How many servings of fruit (e.g. banana, mango,
apple, orange, papaya, tangerine, grapefruit, peach,
pear (country-specific)) do you eat on a typical day?
(servings)
-8-don’t know
q3013
How many servings of vegetables (e.g. tomato,
cauliflower, potato, cucumber, peas, corn lettuce,
squash, bean (country-specific)) do you eat on a
typical day?
(servings)
-8-don’t know
q3014
In the last 12 months, how often did you ever eat less
than you felt you should because there wasn’t
enough food?
1-every month
2-almost every month
3-some months, but not every
month
4-only in 1 or 2 months
5-never
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q3015
In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry, but
didn’t eat because you couldn’t afford enough food?
1-every month
2-almost every month
3-some months, but not every
month
4-only in 1 or 2 months
5-never
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
Panel O4.5. Health Care Utilization (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q2020
When was the last time you had your eyes examined
by a medical professional? (Interviewer: Enter years
ago. Enter “00” if less than 1 year.)
(years ago)
-8-don’t know
98-never
q5001a
If ‘don’t know,’ was it more than 3 years ago?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5001mm
When was the last time that you needed health care?
(years ago, months ago)
88-DK
98-never
-8-don’t know
q5001yy
When was the last time that you needed health care?
(years ago, months ago)
88-DK
98-never
-8-don’t know
q5002
The last time you needed health care, did you get
health care?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q50016a
Which reason best describes why you were last
hospitalized?
1-Communicable
2-Maternal
3-Nutrition
4-Acute condition
292
5-Injury
6-Surgery
7-Sleep problems
8-Occupation
9-Pain in joints
10-Diabetes
11-Problems with heart
12-Problems with mouth
13-Problems with breathing
14-High BP
15-Stroke
16-Generalized pain
17-Depression or anxiety
18-Cancer
87-Other
88-Don’t know
98-Not applicable
q5026
Over the last 12 months, did you receive any health
care NOT including an overnight stay in hospital or
long-term care facility?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5027
In total, how many times did you receive health care
or consultation in the last 12 months?
(times)
-8-don’t know
-9-not applicable
q5028
What was the last (most recent) health care facility
you visited in the last 12 months?
1-private doctor’s office
2-private clinic or health
care facility
3-private hospital
4-public clinic or health care
facility
5-public hospital
6-charity or church run
clinic
7-charity or church run
hospital
8-home visit
87-other, specify
88-don’t know
98-not applicable
q5029
Which was the last (most recent) health care provider
you visited? Interviewer: After q5029 substitute the
type of health care provider selected by the patient
when you see [health care provider] in parentheses.
1-medical doctor (including
surgeon, gynecologist,
psychiatrist,
ophthalmologist)
2-nurse/midwife
3-dentist
4-physiotherapist or
chiropractor
5-traditional medicine
practitioner (use local name)
6-pharmacist, druggist
7-home health care worker
293
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5039
For your last visit to a health care provider, how
would you rate the following: the amount of time you
waited before being attended to?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5040
For your last visit to a health care provider, how
would you rate the following: your experience of
being treated respectfully?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5041
For your last visit to a health care provider, how
would you rate the following: how clearly health care
providers explained things to you?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5042
For your last visit to a health care provider, how
would you rate the following: your experience of
being involved in making decisions for your
treatment?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5043
For your last visit to a health care provider, how
would you rate the following: the way the health
services ensured that you could talk privately to
providers?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5044
For your last visit to a health care provider, how
would you rate the following: the ease with which you
could see a health care provider you were happy with?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
q5045
For your last visit to a health care provider, how
would you rate the following: the cleanliness in the
health facility?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5053
In general, how satisfied are you with how the health
1-very satisfied
294
care services are run in your country [in your area] –
are you very satisfied, satisfied, neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied, fairly dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
2-satisfied
3-neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
4-fairly dissatisfied
5-very dissatisfied
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q5054
How would you rate the way health care in your
country involves you in deciding what services it
provides and where it provides them?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q8002
Over the last 12 months, have any members of your
household, adults or children, needed care or support
for any reason? This could include financial, physical,
emotional, health or personal care or support.
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q8003
In total, how many adult household (HH) members
have needed care or support in the last 12 months?
(number)
-8-don’t know
Table O5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel O5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q2000
In general, how would you rate your health today?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7001
Do you have enough energy for everyday life?
1-completely
2-mostly
3-moderately
4-a little
5-none at all
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7002
Do you have enough money to meet your needs?
1-completely
2-mostly
3-moderately
4-a little
5-none at all
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7003
How satisfied are you with your health?
1-very satisfied
2-satisfied
3-neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
4-dissatisfied
295
5-very dissatisfied
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7004
How satisfied are you with yourself?
1-very satisfied
2-satisfied
3-neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
4-dissatisfied
5-very dissatisfied
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7005
How satisfied are you with your ability to perform
your daily living activities?
1-very satisfied
2-satisfied
3-neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
4-dissatisfied
5-very dissatisfied
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7006
How satisfied are you with your personal
relationships?
1-very satisfied
2-satisfied
3-neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
4-dissatisfied
5-very dissatisfied
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7007
How satisfied are you with the conditions of your
living place?
1-very satisfied
2-satisfied
3-neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
4-dissatisfied
5-very dissatisfied
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7008
Taking all things together, how satisfied are you with
your life as a whole these days?
1-very satisfied
2-satisfied
3-neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
4-dissatisfied
5-very dissatisfied
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7008a
How often have you felt that you were unable to
control the important things if your life? (Read
responses).
1-never
2-almost never
3-sometimes
4-fairly often
5-very often
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7008b
How often have you found that you could not cope
1-never
296
with all the things that you had to do? (Read
responses).
2-almost never
3-sometimes
4-fairly often
5-very often
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7009
How would you rate your overall quality of life?
1-very good
2-good
3-moderate
4-bad
5-very bad
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q7010
Taking all things together, how would you say you
are these days? Are you…?
1-very happy
2-happy
3-neither happy nor
unhappy
4-unhappy
5-very unhappy
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
Panel O5.2. Anthropometric and Performance Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q2501
Blood pressure.
(systolic)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
(diastolic)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
q2501a_p
Pulse rate.
(beats per minute)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
q2502
Blood pressure.
(systolic)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
(diastolic)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
q2502a_p
Pulse rate.
(beats per minute)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
q2503
Blood pressure.
(systolic)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
(diastolic)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
q2503a_p
Pulse rate.
(beats per minute)
-8-don’t know
-9-refused
q2510
Timed walk. Did respondent complete the walk at
1-yes
297
usual pace?
2-no, refused
3-no, cannot walk, even
with support
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2511
Time at 4 meters.
(seconds)
-8-don’t know
-9-not applicable
q2512
Rapid walk. Did respondent complete the walk at
rapid pace?
1-yes
2-no, refused
3-no, cannot walk, even
with support
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2513
Time at 4 meters.
(seconds)
-8-don’t know
-9-not applicable
q2521
Grip strength. First test left hand.
(kilograms)
-9-refused
q2522
Grip strength. Second test left hand.
(kilograms)
-9-refused
q2523
Grip strength. First test right hand.
(kilograms)
-9-refused
q2524
Grip strength. Second test right hand.
(kilograms)
-9-refused
q2538
Lung function. FVC.
-8-don’t know
-9/999/9999-missing
q2539
Lung function. FEV1.
-8-don’t know
-9/999/9999-missing
q2540
Lung function. FEV1%.
-8-don’t know
-9/999/9999-missing
q2541
Lung function. PEF.
-8-don’t know
-9/999/9999-missing
q2542
Lung function. FEF25-75.
-8-don’t know
-9/999/9999-missing
q2543
Lung function. FET.
-8-don’t know
-9/999/9999-missing
Panel O5.3. Self-Reported Health and Vignettes (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q1001
Does the respondent have obvious cognitive
limitations that prevent him/her from being
interviewed/
1-yes
2-no limitations
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2001
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have with work or household activities?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2002
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
1-none
298
you have with moving around?
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2003
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have in vigorous activities (‘vigorous activities’
require hard physical effort and cause large increases
in breathing or heart rate)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2004
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have with self-care, such as bathing/washing or
dressing yourself?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2005
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have in taking care of and maintaining your
general appearance (for example, grooming, looking
neat and tidy)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2006
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have in staying by yourself for a few days (3 to 7
days)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2007
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of bodily aches
or pains did you have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2008
Overall in the last 30 days, how much bodily
discomfort did you have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2009
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have in your daily life because of your pain?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
299
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2010
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have with concentrating or remembering things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2011
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have in learning a new task (for example,
learning how to get to a new place, learning a new
game, learning a new recipe)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2012
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have with personal relationships or participation
in the community?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2013
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have in dealing with conflicts and tensions with
others?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2014
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have with making new friendships or
maintaining current friendships?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2015
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did
you have with dealing with strangers?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2016
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have with sleeping, such as falling asleep,
waking up frequently during the night or waking up
too early in the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
300
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2017
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have due to not feeling rested and refreshed
during the day (for example, feeling tired, not having
energy)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2018
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have with feeling sad, low or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2019
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem
did you have with worry or anxiety?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2023
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you have
in seeing and recognizing an object or a person you
know across the road (from a distance of about 20
meters)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2024
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you have
in seeing and recognizing an object at arm’s length
(for example, reading)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2039
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you have
in your day to day work?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme/cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2101a_m,
Mobility vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
301
q2105a_m,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2109a_m,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2113a_m,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2115a_m
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2102a_v,
Vigorous activities vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2106a_v,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2110a_v,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2114a_v,
1-none
302
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2116a_v
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2103a_d,
Depression vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2107a_d,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2111a_d,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2117a_d,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2119a_d
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2104a_a,
Anxiety vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
303
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2108a_a,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2112a_a,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2118a_a,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2120a_a
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2101b_r,
Personal relationships vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2105b_r,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2111b_r,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
304
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2113b_r,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2117b_r
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2102b_c,
Conflict vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2106b_c,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2112b_c,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2114b_c,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2118b_c
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
305
q2103b_p,
Pain vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2107b_p,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2109b_p,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2115b_p,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2119b_p
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2104b_d,
Discomfort vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2108b_d,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2110b_d,
1-none
2-mild
306
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2116b_d,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2120b_d
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2101c_s,
Sleeping vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2105c_s,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2111c_s,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2115c_s,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2119c_s
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
307
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2102c_e,
Energy vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2106c_e,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2112c_e,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2116c_e,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2120c_e
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2103c_p,
Long distance visibility vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2107c_p,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
308
9-not applicable
q2109c_p,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2113c_p,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2117c_p
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2104c_o,
Short distance visibility vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2108c_o,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2110c_o,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2114c_o,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2118c_o
1-none
309
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2101d_c,
Self-care vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2107d_c,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2111d_c,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2113d_c,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2115d_c
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2102d_a,
General appearance vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2108d_a,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
310
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2112d_a,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2114d_a,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2116d_a
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2103d_m,
Memory vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2105d_m,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2109d_m,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2117d_m,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
311
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2119d_m
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2104d_l,
Learning vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2106d_l,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2110d_l,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2118d_l,
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2120d_l
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
Panel O5.4. Functionality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q2025
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in sitting for long periods?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
312
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2026
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in walking 100 meters?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2027
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in standing up from sitting down?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2028
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in standing for long periods?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2029
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with climbing one flight of stairs without
resting?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2030
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with stooping, kneeling, or crouching?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2031
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…picking up things with your fingers?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2032
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in taking care of your household
responsibilities?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
313
q2033
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in joining community activities (for ex.,
festivities, religious or other activities) in the same
way as anyone else can?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2034
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in extending your arms above shoulder level?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2035
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…concentrating on doing something for 10
minutes?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2036
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in walking a long distance such as a kilometer?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2037
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in bathing/washing your whole body?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2038
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…in getting dressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2040
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with carrying things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2041
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with moving around inside your home (such as
1-none
2-mild
314
walking across a room)?
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2042
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with eating (including cutting up your food)?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2043
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with getting up from lying down?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2044
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with getting to and using the toilet?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2045
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…with getting where you want to go, using
private or public transport if needed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme, cannot do
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2046
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have…getting out of your home?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
Panel O5.5. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
q2021
Do you use eyeglasses or contact lenses to see far
away (for example, across the street)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q2022
Do you use eyeglasses or contact lenses to see up
close (for example at arm’s length, like when you are
reading?)
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4001
Have you ever been diagnosed with/told you have
1-yes
315
arthritis (a disease of the joints, or by other names
rheumatism or osteoarthritis)?
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4010
Have you ever been told by a health professional that
you have had a stroke?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4014
Have you ever been diagnosed with angina or angina
pectoris (a heart disease)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4015a
Have you been taking medications or other treatment
for it during the last 2 weeks?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4015b
Have you been taking medications or other treatment
for it during the last 12 months?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4016
During the last 12 months, have you experienced any
pain or discomfort in your chest when you walk
uphill or hurry?
1-yes
2-no
3-never walks uphill or
hurries
q4017
During the last 12 months, have you experienced any
pain or discomfort in your chest when you walk at an
ordinary pace on level ground?
1-yes
2-no
q4018
What do you do if you get the pain or discomfort
when you are walking? (Read choices).
1-stop or slow down
2-carry on after taking a
pain relieving medicine
that dissolves in your
mouth
3-carry on walking
q4019
If you stand still, what happens to the pain or
discomfort? (Read choices).
1-relieved
2-not relieved
q4020
Will you show me where you usually experience the
pain or discomfort? (Circle number in each of the
boxes in the areas of body mentioned or shown by
the respondent).
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4021
These symptoms that you have said you experienced
in the last 12 months, have you experienced them in
the last 2 weeks?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4022
Have you ever been diagnosed with diabetes (high
blood sugar)? (not including diabetes associated with
pregnancy)
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4023a
Have you been taking insulin or other blood sugar
lowering medications in the last 2 weeks?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4023b
Have you been taking insulin or other blood sugar
1-yes
316
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. World
Health Organization (WHO). SAGE: WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE).
World Health Organization [distributor], accessed 2011.
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/systems/sage/en/index1.html,
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/systems/sage/en/.
Notes:
In some cases, there were slight differences in the way variables were named across SAGE
countries.
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Panel O2.3. SAGE has extensive questions on household expenditures in the Household
Questionnaire. There are other questions regarding the house including type of floors and walls
(questions q0504 and q0505).
Note A, Panel O4.1. There are other questions related to duration, number of products smoked,
and how old the respondent was when they quit in Section 3000 of the Individual Questionnaire
(q3003, q3004, and q3006).
lowering medications in the last 12 months?
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4024
Have you been following a special diet, exercise
regime or weight control program for diabetes during
the last 2 weeks? (As recommended by health
professional).
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4025
Have you ever been diagnosed with chronic lung
disease (emphysema, bronchitis, COPD)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4033
Have you ever been diagnosed with asthma (an
allergic respiratory disease)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4040
Have you ever been diagnosed with depression?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4060
Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood
pressure (hypertension)?
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4061a
Have you been taking medications or other treatment
for it during the last 2 weeks? (Other treatment
might include weight loss program or change in
eating habits).
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
q4061b
Have you been taking medications or other treatment
for it during the last 12 months? (Other treatment
might include weight loss program or change in
eating habits).
1-yes
2-no
8-don’t know
9-not applicable
317
Note A, Panel O4.3. There is another question on the frequency (q3009) of drinking in Section
3000 of the Individual Questionnaire.
Note A, Panel O4.5. There are several questions about hospital stays and inpatient care in
Section 5000 of the Individual Questionnaire.
Note A, Table O5. There is also a section with many questions on social cohesion and
involvement in the community in Section 6000 of the Individual Questionnaire. There is an
analysis of daily activities in Section 7000 of the Individual Questionnaire.
Note A, Panel O5.2. Self-reports for the respondent’s health can be found in the adult health
outcomes file.
Some of the performance measures (for example, lung function variables q2538-q2543) were
performed numerous times. To indicate this, the variable name includes an _1, _2, and _3 (i.e.
q2538_1, q2538_2, and q2538_3).
Note A, Panel O5.3. SAGE has several questions on cognitive ability in Section Q1000 of the
Individual Questionnaire and memory and verbal fluency in Section 2500 of the Individual
Questionnaire.
NOTE B.
In some instances variables across SAGE countries are slightly different. For example, the
variables for health care utilization are different for Ghana.
318
Appendix P: Taiwan-SEBAS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the Taiwan-SEBAS survey that
were used to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are
marked in bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that
are included in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The
variables are grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of
the technical report. After the tables there are notes specific to the Taiwan data that
should be taken into account when examining the data.
Table P1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
resp_id
Unique respondent ID.
(number, range 1-1023)
wgt_exam
Weight variable, adjusts for over-sampling and for the
differential participation in the health examination by
age group.
rural
2000 Residence: Urban or Rural township.
0-urban
1-rural
urban
2000 Residence: Large city or small town.
0-no
1-yes
lcity
2000 Residence: Large city.
0-no
1-yes
scity
2000 Residence: Small town.
0-no
1-yes
utown
2000 Residence: Urban township.
0-no
1-yes
rtown
2000 Residence: Rural township.
0-no
1-yes
i1
The interviewee for this questionnaire was:
1-respondent only
2-proxy report
3-respondent and proxy
report
i2
What is the relationship of the person who helps the
respondent to provide answers?
2-spouse
31-eldest son
32-second son
33-third son
34-fourth son
41-first daughter
42-second daughter
43-third daughter
45-fifth+ daughter
52-son's daughter
54-grandchild
88-Not applicable
91-first daughter-in-law
92-second daughter-in-law
93-third daughter-in-law
94-fourth daughter-in-law
95-fifth daughter-in-law
qtype
Distinguishes between respondents drawn from the
1-near elderly
319
1989 sample of elderly and those drawn from the 1996
extension sample of near elderly.
2-elderly
Table P2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel P2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
sex
Respondent’s sex.
1-male
2-female
age2000
Respondent’s age at 2000 interview (based on
birthday).
(age)
bir_m
Month of birthdate.
(month)
99-missing
a1
What is your current marital status? Are you never-
married, married, (formally) separated, widowed, or
divorced?
1-never married
2-married, husband/wife
alive
3-(formally) separated
4-divorced
5-widowed
Panel P2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ethnicity
Respondent’s ethnicity.
1-Fukienes
2-Hakka
3-Mainland
4-Aborigin
Panel P2.3. Education, Income and Wealth
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
educ00
Respondent’s education.
0-illiterate (no educ)
1-1st yr primary
2-2nd yr primary
3-3rd yr primary
4-4th yr primary
5-5th yr primary
6-6th yr primary
7-7th yr junior high
8-8th yr junior high
9-9th yr junior high
10-10th yr senior high
11-11th yr senior high
12-12th yr senior high
13-1 yr college
14-2 yrs college
15-3 yrs college
16-4 yrs college
17-17+ yrs (Grad school)
90-literate (no educ)
d1
Compared to others in Taiwan, respondent’s rank on
SES ladder.
1-worst-off
2
3
4
5
320
6
7
8
9
10-best-off
66-other response
88-not applicable
95-no opinion
96-not sure
97-don’t know/don’t
understand
98-refuse to answer
99-unknown
d2
Compared to others in community, respondent’s rank
on SES ladder.
1-worst-off
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10-best-off
88-not applicable
95-no opinion
96-not sure
97-don’t know/don’t
understand
98-refuse to answer
99-unknown
majocc_r
Respondent’s major lifetime occupation.
(see SEBAS codebook for
definitions of occupations,
coded 1-99)
Panel P2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
a3a
How many people, in total, usually live in this house
with you?
(number of people
including respondent)
99-missing
Table P3. Early Life Conditions
Panel P3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ethnicty
Respondent’s ethnicity.
1-Fukienes
2-Hakka
3-Mainland
4-Aborigin
bir_m
Month of birthdate.
(month)
99-missing
yrbirth
Respondent’s year of birth.
(year)
9999-missing
Panel P3.2. Childhood Nutrition
321
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
height
Respondent’s height measurement.
(cm)
waist
Respondent’s waist measurement.
(cm)
hip
Respondent’s hip measurement.
(cm)
waisthip
Respondent’s waist to hip ratio.
(ratio)
99999-missing
Panel P3.3. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
fdm
Family history of diabetes?
0-no
1-yes
fchd
Family history of heart disease?
0-no
1-yes
Table P4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel P4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
smk
Past 6 months, did you smoke?
0-no
1-when friends give me
cigs/socially
2-only after meals
3-everyday
9-missing
betel
Past 6 months, did you chew betel nut?
0-no
1-sometimes
2-frequently
3-everyday
9-missing
Panel P4.2. Adult Exercise (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
b8
Do you usually exercise? [If yes, continue.] On average,
how many times do you exercise each week?
0-no
1-less than once a week
2-once to twice a week
3-three to five times a
week
4-six or more times a week
9-missing
Panel P4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
alc
Past 6 months, did you drink alcohol?
0-no
1-sometimes
2-frequently
3-everyday
9-missing
alc_b1
Past 6 months, consumed wine/beer daily?
0-no
1-yes
8-not applicable
9-missing
Panel P3.4. Adult Diet
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
milk
Do you drink milk every day?
0-no
322
1-yes
9-missing
diet
Eat 3 veggies and 2 fruits every day?
0-no
1-yes
9-missing
Panel P4.4. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
b12
In the past year, have you gone to the hospital for an
emergency?
1-yes
0-no
b13
In the past year, have you had a health examination or
physical examination?
1-yes
0-no
b13b_a
Did you have the last health examination to simply
learn your state of health? Or did you have the physical
on your own initiative because you had discomfort, or
did you have discomfort and the physician ordered it?
Can choose more than one.
just to learn state of health
(preventive)
0-no
1-yes
8-not applicable
b13b_b
Did you have the last health examination to simply
learn your state of health? Or did you have the physical
on your own initiative because you had discomfort, or
did you have discomfort and the physician ordered it?
Can choose more than one.
had discomfort so went to
have physical on his/her
own initiative
0-no
1-yes
8-not applicable
b13b_c
Did you have the last health examination to simply
learn your state of health? Or did you have the physical
on your own initiative because you had discomfort, or
did you have discomfort and the physician ordered it?
Can choose more than one.
had discomfort, so
physician ordered the
physical
0-no
1-yes
8-not applicable
b13b_d
Did you have the last health examination to simply
learn your state of health? Or did you have the physical
on your own initiative because you had discomfort, or
did you have discomfort and the physician ordered it?
Can choose more than one.
other (please explain)
0-no other reasons
1-was informed to take
free health exam
2- company requirement
7-other reasons
8-not applicable
Table P5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel P5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
b1
Regarding your current state of health, do you feel it is
excellent, good, average, not so good, or poor?
1-excellent
2-good
3-average
4-not so good
5-poor
8-not applicable
b2
Compared to this time last year, is your health better,
about the same, or worse?
1-better
2-about the same
3-worse
8-not applicable
b3
Compared to most people your age, do you feel your
health is better, about the same, or worse?
1-better
2-about the same
323
3-worse
8-not applicable
Panel P5.2. Anthropometric Measures\Biomarkers (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
weight
Respondent’s weight measurement.
(kg)
bp_s1
Systolic blood pressure, 1st reading by nurse.
(reading in mmHg)
bp_d1
Diastolic blood pressure, 1
st
reading by nurse.
(reading in mmHg)
bp_s2
Systolic blood pressure, 2nd reading by nurse.
(reading in mmHg)
bp_d2
Diastolic blood pressure, 2
nd
reading by nurse.
(reading in mmHg)
bp_s
Systolic blood pressure average of first two readings.
(average)
bp_d
Diastolic blood pressure average of first two readings.
(average)
bp_s3
Systolic blood pressure, 3rd reading by doctor.
(reading in mmHg)
999-missing
bp_d3
Diastolic blood pressure, 3rd reading by doctor.
(reading)
999-missing
pulse
Pulse.
(beats per minute)
glucose
Glucose, AC. AC is an average measurement of blood
glucose over an extended period of time.
(mg/dL)
hb_alc
Glycosylated hemoglobin.
(% of Hb)
hemoglo
Hemoglobin.
(g/dL)
Panel P5.3. Functionality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
b5_1
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Stand continuously for 15 minutes.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b5_2
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Stand continuously for 2 hours.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
4-don’t know
9-missing
b5_3
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Squat.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
9-missing
b5_4
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Raise both hands over your head.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b5_5
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Grasp or turn objects with your fingers.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b5_6
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Lift or carry something weighing 11-21 kgs
(like 2 bags of rice).
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
4-don’t know
b5_7
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
0-no difficulty
324
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Run a short distance (20-30 meters).
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
4-don’t know
9-missing
b5_8
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Walk from 200-300 meters.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
9-missing
b5_9
If no one helps you and you have no aids to help you,
would you have trouble doing the following activities
by yourself? Walk up 2 or 3 flights of stairs.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b6_1
Based on your health and physical condition, do you
have difficulty doing the following activities by
yourself? Buy personal items (like soap, toothpaste,
medicine, etc).
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b6_2
Based on your health and physical condition, do you
have difficulty doing the following activities by
yourself? Manage money, pay bills, etc.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b6_3
Based on your health and physical condition, do you
have difficulty doing the following activities by
yourself? Ride the bus or train by yourself.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
4-don’t know
9-missing
b6_4
Based on your health and physical condition, do you
have difficulty doing the following activities by
yourself? Do physical work around home and
surroundings (like cleaning gutters or washing
windows).
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
9-missing
b6_5
Based on your health and physical condition, do you
have difficulty doing the following activities by
yourself? Sweeping, washing dishes, taking out
garbage, other light tasks.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b6_6
Based on your health and physical condition, do you
have difficulty doing the following activities by
yourself? Make a telephone call.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
4-don’t know
b7_1
Please tell me if you have any difficulty doing these
activities by yourself? Bathing.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b7_2
Please tell me if you have any difficulty doing these
activities by yourself? Dressing and undressing.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b7_3
Please tell me if you have any difficulty doing these
0-no difficulty
325
activities by yourself? Eating.
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b7_4
Please tell me if you have any difficulty doing these
activities by yourself? Getting out of bed, standing up,
sitting in a chair.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
9-missing
b7_5
Please tell me if you have any difficulty doing the
following activities by yourself? Moving about the
house.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b7_6
Please tell me if you have any difficulty doing these
activities by yourself? Going to the toilet.
0-no difficulty
1-some difficulty
2-great difficulty
3-unable to do it
b7d
Any difficulty with 6 ADL in B7?
0-no difficulty in any of
the 6 activities in b7
1-at least 1 difficulty
Panel P5.4. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
b4a_1
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness? High
blood pressure.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_2
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Diabetes.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
b4d_2
Are you currently taking medication or getting
treatment for this illness?
0-no
1-occasionally or when
needed
2-often or regularly
8-not applicable
dm
History of diabetes.
0-no
1-yes
b4a_3
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Heart disease (does not include palpitations).
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
chd
History of heart disease.
0-no
1-yes
b4a_4
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Stroke (cerebral hemorrhage).
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
b4a_5
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Cancer or malignant tumor.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_6
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, lung disease,
asthma, other lower respiratory tract diseases.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
326
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above.
Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Chang, M-C., Lin, H-S., Chang, Y-L., Lin, S-J., & Wu, S-I. Social
Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) in Taiwan, 2000 and 2006.
ICPSR03792-v5. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
[distributor], accessed 2003, accessed 2007-01-12.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/03792/version/5.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Table P2. There are a few other variables that describe the size of the current residence.
There are quite a few questions about living conditions in terms of living with other people.
Note A, Panel P4.1. There are additional questions about smoking in the questionnaire.
Note A, Panel P4.2. There are several questions about involvement in community activities in
Section B of the questionnaire.
b4a_7
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Arthritis/rheumatism.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_8
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Gastric ulcer/stomach ailment.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
b4a_9
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Liver or gall bladder disease.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
b4a_10
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness? Hip
fracture.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_11
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Cataract.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_12
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Kidney disease (including stones).
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_13
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Gout.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
b4a_14
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Spinal/vertebrae spur.
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_15
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Other current disease (specify).
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
b4a_16
Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with this illness?
Other current disease (specify).
1-yes
0-no or not sure
8-not applicable
9-missing
327
Note A, Table P5. There are questions regarding stress and life satisfaction in Section C of the
questionnaire. There are additional questions regarding the history of illnesses and family
history of illnesses including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lung disease, stroke, cancer,
etc. There are additional depression and mood questions in Section B of the questionnaire.
Note A, Panel P5.2. There are cognitive questions in Section B of the questionnaire.
NOTE B. Many of the desired variables regarding early life conditions were asked in surveys
prior to the SEBAS survey and are not yet available. Mortality data are also not yet available.
328
Appendix Q: US-HRS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the US-HRS survey that were used
to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are marked in
bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that are included
in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The variables are
grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of the technical
report. After the tables there are notes specific to the US data that should be taken into
account when examining the data.
Table Q1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
HHID
Household identification number.
000002-213479-household
identifier range
PN
Personal identification number. User note:
Respondent person numbers ending in 0 are
generally from the original sample; respondent
person numbers ending in 1 or 2 are generally new
spouses or partners added since the original
sample.
010
011
012
020
021
022
030
031
032
040
041
GWGTHH
2000 Sample Weight; Household-Level.
GWGTR
2000 Sample Weight; Respondent-Level.
missing 998 dk/NA
missing 999 rf
GWHY0WGT
2000 Why Zero Weight.
1-not cohort eligible this
wave
3-nursing home resident
5-birth cohort not observed
7-inap. xWGTR greater
than zero or xIWTYPE
greater than one
G514
Proxy or self-interview?
1-self-interview
2-proxy
3-proxy
G767
Interview date in 2000.
(day)
1-Sunday
2-Monday
3-Tuesday
4-Wednesday5-Thursday
6-Friday
7-Saturday
G768
Interview date in 2000.
(month)
G770
Interview date in 2000.
(year)
GIWTYPE
2000 Interview Type.
1-core interview obtained
5-core interview not
obtained
329
11-exit interview obtained
15-exit interview not
obtained
21-post-exit interview
obtained
25-post-exit interview not
obtained
99-not in this wave
GPROXY
2000 Proxy Type Status.
1-core interview obtained,
was a proxy, proxy was
provided by spouse or
partner
2-core interview obtained,
was a proxy, proxy was not
provided by spouse or
partner
5-core interview obtained,
was not a proxy
9-core interview not
obtained
11-exit interview obtained,
proxy provided by
spouse/partner
12-exit interview obtained,
proxy was not provided by
spouse or partner, or
unknown who provided
proxy interview
19-exit interview not
obtained
21-post-Exit interview
obtained, proxy provided
by spouse/partner
22-post-exit interview
obtained, proxy was not
provided by spouse or
partner, or unknown who
provided proxy interview
29-post-exit interview not
obtained
WTCOHORT
Birth Cohort Used for Creating Weights.
13- -1913
23- 1914-1923
30-1924-1930
36- 1931-1936
41- 1937-1941
47- 1942-1947
80- 1948+
KA500
Month of 2006 interview.
KA501
Year of 2006 interview.
330
Table Q2. Demographics (see note A)
Panel Q2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G757
Gender.
1-male
2-female
G1051
In what month, day, and year were you born?
1-Jan
2-Feb
3-Mar
4-Apr
5-May
6-Jun
7-Jul
8-Aug
9-Sep
10-Oct
11-Nov
12-Dec
98-dk
99-rf
G1053
In what month, day, and year were you born?
1880-1899-actual value
(verified)
1900-1970-actual value
1971-1985-actual value
(verified)
9998-dk
9999-rf
G1101
Current age.
(actual value)
998-dk/na
999-rf
G1158
Assigned marital status.
0-dk, na, rf
1-married
3-separated
4-divorced
5-widowed
6-never married
7-other, specify
Panel Q2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
RACE
Race/ethnicity.
0-not obtained
1-white/Caucasian
2-Black or African
American
7-other
HISPANIC
Hispanic type.
0-Hispanic, type unknown
1-Mexican American
2-other Hispanic
5-note Hispanic
G1089
Do you consider yourself Hispanic or Latino?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk, na
9-rf
331
G1092A
Do you consider yourself primarily white or
Caucasian, Black or African American, American
Indian, or Asian, or something else?
1-white/Caucasian
2-Black/African American
7-Other (specify); masked
version includes American
Indian, Asian
8-dk, na
9-rf
Panel Q2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1074A
What is the highest grade of school or year of
college you completed?
0-for no formal education
1-11-grades
12-high school
13-15-some college
16-college graduate
17-post-college (17+ years)
97-other
98-dk, na
99-rf
DEGREE
Highest degree of education.
0-no degree
1-GED
2-high school diploma
3-two-year college degree
4-four-year college degree
5-master degree
6-professional degree (PhD,
MD, JD)
9-degree unknown
SCHLYRS
Number of years in school.
0-no formal education
1-11-grades
12-high school
13-15-some college
16-college graduate
17-post-college (17+ years)
99-na
GHHINC
Imputed household income.
Panel Q2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1093
I need to clarify some aspect of family history. How
many children have (you fathered/you given birth
to)? Please don’t count miscarriages or still-births,
or adopted or step-children for this question.
0-15-actual value
16-94-actual value (verified)
98-dk, na
99-rf
G562
Are you and your (new) (husband/wife/partner)
living in the same (nursing home/health care
facility) together?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G805M
In what city and state is your (house or
apartment/house/apartment) currently located?
(see codebook for regional
details)
1-Northeast: New England
Division (ME, NH, VT, MA,
RI, CT)
2-Northeast: Middle
332
Atlantic Division (NY, NJ,
PA)
3-Midwest: East North
Central Division (OH,
IN,IL, MI, WI)
4-Midwest: West North
Central Division (MN, IA,
MO, ND, SD, NE, KS)
5-South: South Atlantic
Division (DE, MD, DC, VA,
WV, NC, SC, GA, FL)
6-South: East South Central
Division (KY, TN, AL, MS)
7-South: West South
Central Division (AR, LA,
OK, TX)
8-West: Mountain Division
(MT, ID, WY, CO, NM, AZ,
UT, NV)
9-West: Pacific Division
(WA, OR, CA, AK, HI)
10-US, n/a state
11-foreign country (includes
US territories)
98- don’t know, n/a
Table Q3. Early Life Conditions (see note A)
Panel Q3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
USBORN
Born in the United States.
1-born in the United States
5-born in a foreign country
9-country of birth unknown
G1061M
Region and state born.
1-Northeast
2-Northeast
3-Midwest
4-Midwest
5-South
6-South
7-South
8-West
9-West
10-US, n/a state
11-foreign country not in a
census division (includes
US territories)
G1125
Were you living in a rural area most of the time
when you were [in grade school/in high
school/about age 10]?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk, n.a.
9-rf
BIRTHMO
Birth month.
0-month of birth is
333
unknown
1-January
2-February
3-March
4-April
5-May
6-June
7-July
8-August
9-September
10-October
11-November
12-December
BIRTHYR
Birth year.
0-year of birth is unknown
(year of birth)
Panel Q3.2. Childhood Health and Nutrition (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1079
Consider your health while you were growing up,
from birth to age 16. Would you say that your
health during that time was excellent, very good,
good, fair, or poor?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
8-dk
9-rf
height
(constructed
variable
from several
waves of
data, see
note below)
Height (inches).
G1428
About how tall are you?
(feet)
8-don’t know/na
9-rf
G1429
About how tall are you?
(inches)
8-don’t know/na
9-rf
Panel Q3.3. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1080
Now think about your family when you were
growing up, from birth to age 16. Would you say
your family during that time was pretty well of
financially, about average, or poor?
1-pretty well off
2-very good
3- about average
4-fair
5-poor
6 it varied (vol)
8-dk
9-rf
G1081
While you were growing up, before age 16, did
financial difficulties ever cause you or your family
to move to a different place?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
334
G1082
Before age 16, was there a time when you or your
family received help from relatives because of
financial difficulties?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1083
Before age 16, was there a time of several months
or more when your father had no job?
1-yes
5-no
6-father never
worked/always disabled
7-never lived with
father/father was not alive
8-dk
9-rf
G1084M
What was your father’s occupation when you were
age 16? [IWER: Probe] What kind of work did he
do? What activities did he do at work?
(father’s occupation, see
codebook for details)
1-Mangerial specialty
operation (003-037)
2-Professional specialty
operation and technical
support (043-235)
3-Sales (243-285)"
4-Clerical, administrative
support (303-389)
5-Service: private
household, cleaning and
building services (403-407)
6-Service: protection (413-
427)
7-Service: food
preparation (433-444)
8-Health services (445-
447)
9-Personal services (448-
469)
10-Farming, forestry,
fishing (473-499)
11-Mechanics and repair
(503-549)
12-Construction trade and
extractors (553-617)
13-Precision production
(633-699)
14-Operators: machine
(703-799)
15-Operators: transport,
etc. (803-859)
16-Operators: handlers,
etc. (863-889)
17-Member of Armed
Forces (900)
98-dk, na
98-dk, na
335
G1085
Did you ever live in the same household with a
grandparent for a year or more before age 17?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1087
What is the highest grade of school your father
completed?
0-no formal education
1-11-grades
12-high school
13-15-some college
16-college grad
17-post college (17+ years)
97-other
98 -dk
99 -rf
G1088
And what is the highest grade of school your
mother completed?
0-no formal education
1-11-grades
12-high school
13-15-some college
16-college grad
17-post college (17+ years)
97-other
98 -dk
99 -rf
G1122M
In what state or country did you live most of the
time you were [in grade school/in high
school/about age 10]?
1-Northeast Region: New
England Division
2-Northeast Region: Middle
Atlantic Division
3- Midwest Region: West
North Central Division
4-Midwest Region: West
North Central Division
5-South Region: South
Atlanta Division
6-South Region: East South
Central Division
9-West Region: Pacific
Region
11- Foreign Country: Not in
a census survey
97-other (specify)
98-dk
99-rf
G1125
Were you living in a rural area most of the time
when you were [in grade school/in high
school/about age 10]?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk, na
9-rf
Table Q4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel Q4.1. Adult Smoking (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
V298
How would you describe yourself; as a current
1-current smoker
336
smoker, as a former smoker, or as someone who has
never smoked?
2-former smoker
3-never smoked
8-dk
9-rf
G1399
Have you ever smoked cigarettes?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
V501,
W452,
D942,
E942,
F1266,
G1400
Do you smoke cigarettes now?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
Panel Q4.2. Adult Exercise
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1395
On average over the last 12 months have you
participated in vigorous physical activity or exercise
three times a week or more? By vigorous physical
activity, we mean things like sports, heavy housework,
or a job that involves physical labor.
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
Panel Q4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1415
Do you ever drink any alcoholic beverages such as
beer, wine, or liquor?
1-yes
3-never have used alcohol
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
Panel Q4.4. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G2603
Aside from any hospital stays, how many times have
you seen or talked to a medical doctor about your
health, including emergency room or clinic visits
(since Q218-PR219 previous wave IW month/Q219-
PR219 previous wave IW year/in the last two years)?
(number of times)
0-zero
998-dk/NA
999-rf
G2604
Did it amount to less than 20 times, more than 20
times, or what?
1-less than 20 times
3-about 20 times
5-more than 20 times
8-dk/NA
9-rf
G2605
Did it amount to less than 5 times, more than 5 times,
or what?
1-less than 5 times
3-about 5 times
5-more than 5 times
8-dk/NA
9-rf
G2606
Do you think you have seen a medical doctor about
your health at least once (since Q218-PR218 previous
wave IW month/Q219-PR219 previous wave IW
year/in the last two years)?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk/NA
9-rf
G2607
Did it amount to less than 50 times, more than 50
times, or what?
1-less than 50 times
3-about 50 times
337
5-more than 50 times
8-dk/NA
9-rf
Table Q5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel Q5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1226
Next I have some questions about your health.
Would you say your health is excellent, very
good, good, fair, or poor?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
8-dk (don’t know), not
ascertained
9-rf (refused)
G1229
Compared with your health when we talked to
you in respondent’s last interview month, year
would you say that your health is better now,
about the same, or worse?
1-better
2-about the same
3-worse
8-dk, na
9-rf
G1233
Is it much better or somewhat better?
1-much better
2-somewhat better
8-dk, na
9-rf
G1234
Is it much worse or somewhat worse?
4-somewhat worse
5-much worse
8-dk, na
9-rf
Panel Q5.2. Anthropometric Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1425
About how much do you weigh?
(pounds)
998-dk
999-rf
Panel Q5.3. Self-Reported Health and Vignettes
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
A01_07, B 06_07
Overall, in the last 30 days, how much pain or
bodily aches did you have?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
A02_07, B 05_07
In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you
have with sleeping such as falling asleep,
waking up frequently during the night or
waking up too early in the morning?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
A03_07, B 04_07
Overall, in the last 30 days, how much of a
problem did you have with moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
338
5-extreme
A04_07, B 03_07
Overall, in the last 30 days, how much difficulty
did you have with concentrating or
remembering things?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
A05_07, B02_07
In the last 30 days, how much of a problem did
you have because of shortness of breath?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
A06_07, B01_07
Overall, in the last 30 days, how much of a
problem did you have with feeling sad, low, or
depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
A07_07, B 07_07
Do you have any impairment or health problem
that limits the kind or amount of work you can
do?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
A08_07, A10_07,
A12_07, A26_07,
A27_07, A28_07,
A32_07, A33_07,
A34_07, B21_07,
B23_07, B25_07,
B26_07, B27_07,
B28_07, B32_07,
B33_07, B34_07
Pain vignettes.
A09_07, A11_07,
A13_07, B20_07,
B22_07, B24_07
Sleeping vignettes.
A14_07, A16_07,
A18_07, B15_07,
B17_07, B19_07
Mobility vignettes.
A15_07, A17_07,
A19_07, B14_07,
B16_07, B18_07
Cognition vignettes.
A20_07, A24_07,
B09_07, B11_07,
B13_07
Respiratory vignettes.
A21_07, A22_07,
A23_07, A25_07,
A29_07, A30_07,
B08_07, B10_07,
B12_07, B29_07,
B30_07, B31_07
Depression vignettes.
Panel Q5.3. Functionality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G2692
Because of a health or memory problem do you
1-yes
339
have difficulty with walking one block?
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2695
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty with sitting for about two hours?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2698
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty getting up from a chair after
sitting for long periods?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2701
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty climbing several flights of stairs
without resting?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2704
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty climbing one flight of stairs
without resting?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2707
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty stooping, kneeling, or crouching?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2710
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty reaching or extending your arms
above shoulder level?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2713
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty pulling or pushing large objects
like a living room chair?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2716
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty lifting or carrying weights over 10
pounds, like a heavy bag of groceries?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
340
8-dk
9-rf
G2719
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty picking up a dime from a table?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2725
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty with walking across a room?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2689
Because of a health problem do you have any
difficulty with walking several blocks?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2690
Do you have any difficulty with running or
jogging about a mile?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2723
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty with dressing, including putting
on shoes or socks?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2742
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty with bathing or showering?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2752
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty with eating, such as cutting up
your food?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2762
Because of a health or memory problem do you
have difficulty with getting in or out of bed?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2775
Because of a health or memory problem do you
1-yes5-no
341
have difficulty with using the toilet, including
getting up or down?
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2851
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have any difficulty using a map to figure out
how to get around in a strange place?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2860
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty preparing a hot meal?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2865
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty shopping for groceries?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2870
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty making phone calls?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2875
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty taking medications?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
G2916
Because of a health or memory problem, do you
have difficulty managing your money—such as
paying your bills and keeping track of expenses?
1-yes
5-no
6-can’t do
7-don’t do
8-dk
9-rf
Panel Q5.4. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
G1238
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor
ever told you that you have high blood pressure
or hypertension?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave
(yes/no).
(If respondent reported in last interview that
had high blood pressure or hypertension:) Our
records from your last interview show that you
have had high blood sugar or hypertension.
1-yes
3-disputes previous
wave record, but now
has condition
4-disputes previous
wave record, does not
have condition
5-no
8-dk
342
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did
not report in last interview that had high blood
pressure or hypertension:) Since we talked last
in respondent’s last interview month, year, has
a doctor told you that you have high blood sugar
or hypertension?
9-rf
G1245
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor
ever told you that you have diabetes or high
blood pressure?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave
(yes/no).
(If respondent reported in last interview that
had diabetes or high blood pressure:) Our
records (from your last interview in
respondent’s last interview month, year) show
that you have had diabetes or high blood sugar.
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did
not report in last interview that had diabetes or
high blood pressure:) Since we talked last in
respondent’s last interview month, year, has a
doctor told you that you have diabetes or high
blood sugar?
1-yes
3-disputes previous
wave record, but now
has condition
4-disputes previous
wave record, does not
have condition
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1248
In order to treat or control your diabetes, are
you now taking medication that you swallow?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1249
Are you now using insulin shots or a pump?
1-yes
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1262
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor
ever told you that you have cancer or a
malignant tumor, excluding minor skin
cancers?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave
(yes/no).
(If respondent reported in last interview that
had cancer:) Our records from your last
interview in respondent’s last interview month,
year show that you have had cancer.
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did
not report in last interview that had cancer:)
Since we talked last in respondent’s last
interview month, year, has a doctor told you
that you have cancer or a malignant tumor,
excluding minor skin cancer?
1-yes
3-disputes previous
wave record, but now
has condition
4-disputes previous
wave record, does not
have condition
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1279
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor
ever told you that you have chronic lung disease
such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave
(yes/no).
1-yes
3-disputes previous
wave record, but now
has condition
4-disputes previous
343
(If respondent reported in last interview that
had lung disease:) Our records from your last
interview in respondent’s last interview month,
year show that you have had chronic lung
disease, such as chronic bronchitis or
emphysema.
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did
not report in last interview that had lung
disease:) Since we last talked with you, (that is
since respondent’s last interview month, year,)
has a doctor told you that you have chronic lung
disease, such as chronic bronchitis or
emphysema?
(Interviewer: Do not include asthma.)
wave record, does not
have condition
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1289
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor
ever told you that you have had a heart attack,
coronary heart disease, angina, congestive heart
failure, or other heart problems?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave
(yes/no).
(If respondent reported in last interview that
had heart problem:) Our records (from your last
interview in respondent’s last interview month,
year) show that you have had a heart problem.
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did
not report in last interview that had heart
problem:) (Since your interview in respondent’s
last interview month, year, has a doctor told
you that you have had) a heart attack, (have)
coronary heart disease, angina, congestive heart
failure, or other heart problems?
1-yes
3-disputes previous
wave record, but now
has condition
4-disputes previous
wave record, does not
have condition
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1309
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor
ever told you that you had a stroke?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave
(yes/no).
(If respondent reported in last interview that
had stroke:) Our records (from your last
interview in respondent’s last interview month,
year) show that you have had a stroke.
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did
not report in last interview that had stroke:)
(Since your interview in respondent’s last
interview month, year, has a doctor told you
that you have had) a stroke?
1-yes
2-possible stroke or TIA
(transient ischemic
attack)
3-disputes previous
wave record, but now
has condition
4-disputes previous
wave record, does not
have condition
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
G1327
(If new interview respondent:) Has a doctor
ever told you that you have arthritis or
rheumatism?
(If reinterview respondent:) Previous wave
(yes/no).
(If respondent reported in last interview that
had arthritis:) Our records (from your last
1-yes
3-disputes previous
record, but now has
condition
4-disputes previous
record, does not have
condition
344
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Juster,
F.T. & Willis, R.J. Health and Retirement Study (HRS). University of Michigan: Institute for
Social Research [distributor]: accessed 2008-07-01, accessed 2012.
http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/.
Notes:
interview in respondent’s last interview month,
year) show that you have had arthritis.
(If reinterview respondent and respondent did
not report in last interview that had arthritis:)
(Since your interview in respondent’s last
interview month, year, have you had or has a
doctor told you that you have) arthritis or
rheumatism?
5-no
8-dk
9-rf
Panel Q5.6. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
GALIVE
2000 Vital Status, based on HRS tracking
efforts.
1-alive at this wave
2-presumed alive as of
this wave
5-known deceased as of
this wave
6-known deceased as of
prior wave
9-vital status unknown
KALIVE
2006 Vital Status, based on HRS tracking
efforts.
1-alive at this wave
2-presumed alive as of
this wave
5-known deceased as of
this wave
6-known deceased as of
prior wave
9-vital status unknown
NSCORE
National Death Index Match Score.
0-not listed as deceased
in variable xNDALIVE
21-997-probabilistic
match score
NMONTH
National Death Index Month of Death.
0-not listed as deceased
1-January
2-February
3-March
4-April
5-May
6-June
7-July
8-August
9-September
10-October
11-November
12-December
NYEAR
National Death Index Year of Death.
0-not listed as deceased
1992-2004-year of death
345
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below along
with other notes particular to the tables above.
The variables for HRS 2000 all begin with “G,” earlier years start with different letters. For
example, “E” for 1996 and “F” for 1998. Variables from previous years do not appear in the table
(with the exception of adult smoking variables), though data may have been used to gather
responses.
Note A, Table Q2. Variable G562 was in the household cover screen questionnaire and was used
to calculate household size. There is a variable to determine in which state the respondent was
born. The variable determining the number of children was created using several waves of HRS
data (variables V145 (wave 1993), D668 (1995), E668 (1996), F1006 (1998), and G1093 (2000)).
Note A, Panel Q2.3. Variable G1074A combines data from previous waves with data from
variable G1074 (includes only information from the 2000 wave).
Note A, Table Q3. Most of the childhood variables were created using a subset of the 1996, 1998,
and 2000 HRS data. The 2000 variables are listed in the table above.
Note A, Panel Q3.2. Variables regarding childhood were asked in HRS to individuals in 1996,
1998 and 2000. To construct the final childhood variables, data from HRS 1996, 1998 and 2000
were combined. Shown in the table are examples of variables found in HRS 2000. Variables
from 1996 (beginning with “E”) and 1998 (beginning with “F”) are not shown in this table but
were similar.
In the case of height a similar situation occurred. Height was asked of respondent during the
first HRS interview. Previous waves were used to ascertain the height of respondents in HRS
2000 who had participated in HRS prior to 2000 (variables V517 and V518 (wave 1992
imputed), V306 (1993), W463 and W464 (1994), D958 and D959 (1995), E958 and E959 (1996),
F1295 and F1296 (1998), and G1428 (2000)).
Note A, Panel Q4.1. To create a variable for smoking, several different waves of HRS had to be
examined (variables V501 (wave 1992 imputed), V298 (1993), W452 (1994), D942 (1995), E942
(1996), F1266 (1998), and G1400 (2000)). In 1993, the question was worded slightly different
from those of the other waves in that it distinguished between those who never smoked and
those who formerly smoked (1993:1-currernt smoker, 2-former smoker, 3-never smoked and for
all other waves: 1-smoking 5-never smoke).
Note A, Table Q5. Variables G1250-G1256 provide additional questions regarding diabetes.
Note A, Panel Q5.2. The vignettes were part of the 2006 study and done as a mail out to a
subsample of respondents. There are two versions, A and B, of the vignettes (see Juster & Willis,
accessed 2012). The data for the vignettes were accessed in August 2012 from the 2007 HRS
Mail out Disability Vignette Study (version 1.0).
NOTE B.
In some instances questions were asked only during the first time a respondent was interviewed
in the HRS study. These included self-reported questions on height and early childhood. To
346
obtain this information for a particular survey year (e.g. HRS 2000) several previous waves had
to be reviewed to compile the needed information.
347
Appendix R: US-WLS original variables
The tables below describe the original variables from the US-WLS survey that were used
to construct variables for the cross national data set. These variables are marked in
bold. The list of variables in the tables also includes original variables that are included
in the country-specific data files but not in the cross national data set. The variables are
grouped according to the same groupings used in the table of contents of the technical
report. After the tables there are notes specific to the US data that should be taken into
account when examining the data.
Table R1. Respondent
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
idpriv
Identification number for public use. This ID is the
same for all respondents: i.e. graduate and sibling
respondents.
ga006re
Did Graduate Respondent complete the entire phone
interview in 2003-05 or partial?
1-completed questions for
entire interview
2-partial, completed
through BR3+
ga016rem
Month Graduate Respondent completed telephone
interview.
1-January
2-February
3-March
4-April
5-May
6-June
7-July
8-August
9-September
10-October
11-November
12-December
ga016red
Day Graduate Respondent completed telephone
interview.
1-7
8-13
14-20
21-27
28-31
ga016rey
Year Graduate Respondent completed telephone
interview.
2003
2004
2005
ga029re
Date Graduate Respondent’s telephone interview was
delivered to WLS from UWSC.
ia004dre
Day mail survey returned.
1-6
7-12
13-18
19-25
26-31
-4-missing/not
ascertained
348
ia004mre
Month mail survey returned.
-4-missing/not
ascertained
1-January
2-February
3-March
4-April
5-May
6-June
7-July
8-August
9-September
10-October
11-November
12-December
ia004yre
Year mail survey returned.
-4-missing/not
ascertained
2003
2004
2005
2006
stat04m
Outcome of 2004 graduate respondent mail interview.
1-mail returned, entire
phone interview
completed
2-mail returned, partial
useable phone completed
3-mail returned, no
useable phone completed
4-mail questionnaire sent,
not returned
5-mail questionnaire not
sent
Table R2. Demographics
Panel R2.1. Gender, Age and Marital Status
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
sexrsp
Sex of respondent (1957).
1-male
2-female
brdxdy
Graduate’s year of birth.
11-1911
30-1930
34-1934
35-1935
36-1936
37-1937
38-1938
39-1939
40-1940
41-1941
-3-not ascertained or
nonrespondent in both 1975
and 1992/93 interviews
349
ga003re
Graduate respondent’s age at time of interview.
(age; range: 62-73)
gc001re
Current marital status.
1-currently married
2-separated
3-divorced
4-widowed
5-never married
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
-4-not ascertained
Panel R2.2. Ethnicity, Race and Language
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ie008re
Is your race/origin White?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ie019rec
Number of races/origins graduate respondent indicated
being/having.
0-none, refused all
1-one race
2-two races
3-three races
ie009re
Is your race/origin Black, African American, or Negro?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ie010re
Is your race/origin American Indian or Alaskan Native?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ie012re
Is your race/origin Asian?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ie014re
Is your race/origin Pacific Islander?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ie016re
Is your race/origin Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ie017re
Is your race/origin something other than White, Black,
African American, Negro, American Indian, Alaskan
Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Latino, or
Spanish?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
Panel R2.3. Education, Income and Wealth (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
350
gb103red
How many years of education does the graduate
have based on his or her highest degree?
12-less than one year of
college
13-one year of college
14-asst. degree, two years
of college
15-three or more years of
college
16-bachelor’s degree
17-master’s degree
18-two-year master’s
19-professional degrees,
one or more years post
two-year master’s
20-PhD, MD
21-post doctorate
education
-3-refused
gb104red
How many years of education does the graduate
have based on his or her most recent degree?
12-less than one year of
college
13-one year of college
14-asst. degree, two years
of college
15-three or more years of
college
16-bachelor’s degree
17-master’s degree
18-two-year master’s
19-professional degrees,
one or more years post
two-year master’s
20-PhD, MD
-3-refused
gb005rec
What is the graduate’s highest degree since high
school?
1-associate degree
2-bachelor’s degree
3-master’s degree
4-doctorate or
professional degree
-2-inappropriate
gp250rec
Total Person Income—TPI.
(income)
-5-partial interview
gp260hec
Total Household Income—THI.
(income)
-5-partial interview
Panel R2.4. Family and Household
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
351
gk067ss
Total number of siblings ever born.
0-no siblings
1-26-one to twenty six
siblings
-3-not ascertained, don’t
know
gd001kd
Total number of respondent’s children. Include
biological, adopted, step or foster children as well as
other. Respondent considered to be a part of his/her
family.
0-no children
1-one child
2-two children
3-three children
4-four children
5-five children
6-six children
7-seven children
8-eight children
9-nine children
10-17-ten to seventeen
children
-2-inappropriate
-4-not ascertained
gd102kd
Were there any deceased children at time of 1993 or
2004 interview?
0-at least 1 child dead by ’92
interview
1-at least one by 2003-2005
interview, none in 1992
2-no children deceased by
2003-2005 interview
-2-inappropriate
ge001he
Number of household members. Includes
respondent.
(number of members)
Table R3. Early Life Conditions
Panel R3.1. Birthplace
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ie001re
In what city were you born?
“Baltimore”
“Browndeer”
“Coloma”
“Hancock”
“Menomimee”
“Mucsi”
“Packwaukee Township”
“Waterbury”
“Waukegan”
“Wyocena”
352
ie002re
In what county were you born?
“Greenbay”
“Hamlin”
“Houston”
“Menomimee”
“Metarie”
“Rusk”
“Saskatchewan”
“Tremp.”
“Ventura”
“Wauksha”
ie003re
In what state were you born?
-3-refused
0-international
1-Alabama
2-Alaska
3-Arizona
4-Arkansas
5-California
6-Colorado
7-Conecticut
9-District of Columbia
10-Florida
11-Georgia
14-Illinois
15-Indiana
16-Iowa
17-Kansas
18-Kentucky
19-Louisiana
21-Maryland
22-Massachusetts
23-Michigan
24-Minnesota
25-Mississippi
26-Missouri
27-Montana
28-Nebraska
29-Nevada
31-New Jersey
32-New Mexico
33-New York
34-North Carolina
36-Ohio
37-Oklahoma
38-Oregon
39-Pennsylvania
41-South Carolina
42-South Dakota
43-Tennessee
353
44-Texas
46-Vermont
48-Washington
49-West Virginia
50-Wisconsin
51-Wyoming
ie004re
Were you born in Wisconsin?
1-yes, born in Wisconsin
2-no, born outside
Wisconsin
-3-refused
rlur57
1957 population of town in which graduate attended high
school with urban-rural distinction.
1-rural, graduate’s father a
farmer
2-under 1,000
3-1,000-2,499
4-2,500-9,999
5-10,000-24,999
6-25,000-49,999
7-50,000-99,999
8-100,000-150,000
(Madison)
9-Over 150,000 (Milwaukee)
cmbrdx
Graduate’s century month of birthdate.
(century month; range: 139-
499)
-3-not ascertained or
nonrespondent in both 1975
and 1992/93 interviews
Panel R3.2. Childhood Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ixc01rer
How would you rate your health as a child?
1-poor
2-fair
3-good
4-very good
5-excellent
-3-refused
iv205rer
We would like to ask you about some of your experiences
growing up—until you were 18 years old. My parents
encouraged me to go to college.
1-never
2-rarely
3-sometimes
4-often
5-very often
-3-refused
iv206rer
We would like to ask you about some of your experiences
growing up—until you were 18 years old. I saw a parent
or one of my brothers or sisters get beaten in my home.
1-never
2-rarely
3-sometimes
4-often
5-very often
-3-refused
354
iv207rer
We would like to ask you about some of your experiences
growing up—until you were 18 years old. I knew that
there was someone to take care of me and protect me.
1-never
2-rarely
3-sometimes
4-often
5-very often
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
iv208rer
The following questions are about how your father (or
step/foster father) treated you while growing up—until
you were 18 years old. My father (or step/foster father)
insulted or swore at me.
1-not at all
2-a little
3-some
4-a lot
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
iv209rer
The following questions are about how your father (or
step/foster father) treated you while growing up—until
you were 18 years old. My father (or step/foster father)
slapped, shoved or threw things at me.
1-not at all
2-a little
3-some
4-a lot
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
iv210rer
The following questions are about how your father (or
step/foster father) treated you while growing up—until
you were 18 years old. My father (or step/foster father)
treated me in a way I would now consider physical
abuse.
1-not at all
2-a little
3-some
4-a lot
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
iv211rer
The following questions are about how your mother (or
step/foster mother) treated you while growing up—until
you were 18 years old. My mother (or step/foster
mother) insulted or swore at me.
1-not at all
2-a little
3-some
4-a lot
-3-refused
iv212rer
The following questions are about how your mother (or
step/foster mother) treated you while growing up—until
you were 18 years old. My mother (or step/foster
mother) slapped, shoved or threw things at me.
1-not at all
2-a little
3-some
4-a lot
-3-refused
iv213rer
The following questions are about how your mother (or
step/foster mother) treated you while growing up—until
you were 18 years old. My mother (or step/foster
mother) treated me in a way I would now consider
physical abuse.
1-not at all
2-a little
3-some
4-a lot
-3-refused
ixc02rer
Did you have asthma as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc03rer
Did you have frequent ear infections as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
355
ixc04rer
Did you have your tonsils and/or adenoids removed as a
child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc05rer
Did you have chronic bronchitis as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc06rer
Did you have whooping cough/pertussis as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc07rer
Did you have polio as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc08rer
Did you have diphtheria as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc09rer
Did you have hepatitis as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc10rer
Did you have pneumonia as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc11rer
Did you have meningitis as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc12rer
Did you have mono/infectious mononucleosis as a child?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc13rer
Through age 16, did you ever miss school for 1 month or
more because of a health condition?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixc14rer
Through age 16, were you ever confined to bed or home
for 1 month or more because of a health condition?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ixc15rer
Through age 16, were your sports or physical activities
ever restricted for 3 months or more because of a health
condition?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
356
ixc16are
What was the most serious health condition that caused
you to miss school for 1 month or more, be confined to
bed or home for 1 month or more, or be restricted from
sports or physical activities for 3 months or more? These
are ICD-9 and ICF codes.
2-7081-ICD-9/ICF Code
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
-18-could not code
ixc16bre
What was the most serious health condition that caused
you to miss school for 1 month or more, be confined to
bed or home for 1 month or more, or be restricted from
sports or physical activities for 3 months or more? These
are collapsed ICD-9 and ICF codes.
10-infectious and parasitic
diseases
20-neoplasms
30-endocrine, nutritional,
metabolic, immunity
40-blood and blood-forming
organs
50-mental disorders
60-nervous system and
sense organs
70-circulatory system
80-respiratory systems
90-digestive system
100-genitourinary system
120-skin and subcutaneous
tissue
130-musculoskeletal system
and connective tissue
140-congenital anomalies
150-condition in the
perinatal period
160-symptoms, signs, and
ill-defined conditions
170-injury and poisoning
180-ICD-9 E Codes
190-ICD-9 V Codes
200-IDC-9 Volume 3
Headings
230-ICF Activities and
Participation
240-ICF Environmental
Factors
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
-18-could not code
Panel R3.3. Childhood Nutrition (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ix010rec
Graduate respondent’s total height in inches.
(height in inches)
-2-inappropriate
-4-not ascertained
ix010fre
How tall are you: feet component?
(feet)
-3-refused
-4-not ascertained
357
ix010ire
How tall are you: inches component?
(height in inches)
-3-refused
-4-not ascertained
ix011rec
Body Mass Index based on Graduate Respondent’s
weight and height.
(Body mass index, range: 12-
64)
-2-inappropriate
-4-not ascertained
Panel R3.4. Childhood SES
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
dadocc1
Father’s occupation, by broad category. First category
chosen.
1-office work
2-professional
3-executive
4-factory worker
5-salesman
6-owns/manages small
business
7-owns/manages farm
8-other occupation (specify)
-3-blank, no info provided
dadocc2
Father’s occupation, by broad category. Second category
chosen.
3-executive
4-factory worker
5-salesman
6-owns/manages small
business
7-owns/manages farm
8-other occupation (specify)
-3-blank, no info provided
edfa57q
Father’s years of schooling.
7-did not attend high
school
10-attended high school
12-graduated from high
school
13-attended trade or
business school
14-attended college
16-graduated from college
18-has masters or PhD
-1-don’t know
-3-not ascertained
edmo57q
Mother’s years of schooling.
7-did not attend high school
10-attended high school
12-graduated from high
school
13-attended trade or
business school
14-attended college
16-graduated from college
18-has masters or PhD
-1-don’t know
-3-not ascertained
358
ocf57
Father’s occupation by general category.
1-unskilled or not
ascertained
2-farming
3-skilled
4-white collar
5-professional or
executive
Table R4. Adult Lifestyle
Panel R4.1. Adult Smoking
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ixt01rer
Have you ever smoked a pipe or cigars, or used
snuff or chewing tobacco regularly in your entire
life?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix012rer
Have you ever smoked cigarettes regularly in your
entire life?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix013rec
Does Graduate Respondent currently smoke?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
ix014rer
For how many years has Graduate Respondent smoked,
or did Respondent smoke regularly?
(years, range: 1-57)
-2-inappropriate
ix015rer
About how many packs did you usually smoke per day
when you smoked regularly, or how many packs do you
smoke a day now?
(number of packs)
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixt02rer
Up until you were 16 years old, did anyone in your
household, other than yourself, smoke?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixt03rer
Up until you were 16 years old, did your mother smoke?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixt04rer
Up until you were 16 years old, did your father smoke?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixt05rer
Up until you were 16 years old, did someone in your
household other than your parents smoke?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixt06rer
How old were you when you started smoking regularly?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixt07rer
How often do you smoke now?
1-everyday
2-some days
3-not at all
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
359
ixt08rer
On average, how many packs do you smoke a day?
(number of packs rounded
to quarter packs)
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixt09rer
For how many years have you been smoking the average
number of packs a day you smoke now?
(number of years rounded to
whole years)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixt10rer
About how many packs did you usually smoke per day
when you smoked regularly?
(number of packs rounded
to quarter packs)
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixt11rer
How old were you when you last smoked cigarettes?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixt12rer
Does anyone, other than yourself, regularly smoke
cigarettes or other tobacco products inside your home?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
Panel R4.2. Adult Exercise (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ixe01rer
How many hours per month do you participate in light
physical activities, either alone or with others?
(number of hours)
-2-inappropriate
ixe02rer
How many hours per month do you participate in
vigorous physical activities, either alone or with
others?
(number of hours)
-2-inappropriate
iz165rer
During the past year, how many hours per month did
you spend doing light physical activities that you do
alone, such as light housework, gardening, or walking by
yourself?
(number of hours)
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
iz168rer
During the past year, how many hours per month did
you spend doing light physical activities that you do with
others, such as walking with friends, bowling, playing
softball or other team sports with light activity?
(number of hours)
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
iz171rer
During the past year, how many hours per month did
you spend doing vigorous physical activities that you do
alone, such as jogging, swimming, biking, or going to the
gym by yourself?
(number of hours)
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
iz174rer
During the past year, how many hours per month did
you spend doing vigorous physical activities that you do
with others such as jogging, swimming, biking, or going
to the gym with friends or playing team sports?
(number of hours)
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
360
Panel R4.3. Adult Alcohol Consumption
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ixab01re
Do you ever drink alcoholic beverages?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
-4-not ascertained
ixab11re
When you feel lonely does having a drink help?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab02re
When talking with others, do you ever underestimate
how much you actually drink?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab03re
After a few drinks, have you sometimes not eaten or been
able to skip a meal because you didn’t feel hungry?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab04re
Does having a few drinks help decrease your shakiness
or tremors?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab05re
Does alcohol sometimes make it hard for you to
remember parts of the day or night?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab06re
Do you usually take a drink to relax or calm your nerves?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab07re
Do you drink to take your mind off your problems?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab08re
Have you ever increased your drinking after
experiencing a loss in your life?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab09re
Has a doctor or nurse every said they were worried or
concerned about your drinking?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixab10re
Have you ever made rules to manage your drinking?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
361
Panel R4.4. Health Care Utilization
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ixhi01re
In the past 12 months, have you seen a doctor or health
professional in an office, clinic, or health center, not
including visits to mental health professionals?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixhi03re
In the past 12 months, how many different times have
you seen a doctor or health professional in an office,
clinic, or health center, not including visits to mental
health professionals?
(number of visits; range: 1-
302)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix1201re
In the last 12 months, have you had a complete health
exam or physical?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
Table R5. Adult Health Outcomes (see note A)
Panel R5.1. Self-Reported Health
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
gx201re
In general, would you say your health is excellent, very
good, good, fair, or poor?
1-excellent
2-very good
3-good
4-fair
5-poor
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ix001rer
How would you rate your health at the present time?
1-very poor
2-poor
3-fair
4-good
5-excellent
-4-not ascertained
-3-refused
ix002rer
How would you rate your health compared with other
people your same age and sex?
1-very poor
2-poor
3-fair
4-good
5-excellent
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ix003rer
Compared with 10 years ago, how would you rate your
health?
1-much worse
2-somewhat worse
3-about the same
4-somewhat better
5-much better
-3-refused
362
ix004rer
Compared with 10 years ago, how would you rate your
appearance?
1-much worse
2-somewhat worse
3-about the same
4-somewhat better
5-much better
-3-refused
Panel R5.2. Anthropometric Measures (see note A)
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ix009rer
How much do you weigh in pounds?
-4-not ascertained
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
85-146
169-189
190-212
213-375
Panel R5.3. Self-Reported Health and Vignettes
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
ixaa1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Affect A
vignette.
1-James
2-Judith
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
ixab1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Affect B
vignette.
1-John
2-Barbara
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
ixac1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Affect C
vignette.
1-James2-Judith
3-John
4-Barbara
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
ixad1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Affect D
vignette.
1-James
2-Judith
3-John
4-Barbara
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
ixma1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Mobility A
vignette.
1-Richard
2-Carol
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
ixmb1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Mobility B
vignette.
1-Robert
2-Mary
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
ixmc1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Mobility C
vignette.
1-Robert
2-Mary
3-Richard
4-Carol
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
363
ixmd1rer
Name of the person in the World Health Survey Mobility D
vignette.
1-Robert
2-Mary
3-Richard
4-Carol
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
ix3001re
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem did you
have with moving around?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-3-refused
ix3002re
Overall in the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you have
in vigorous activities, such as running two miles or cycling?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
ix3003re
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem did you
have with feeling sad, low or depressed?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-3-refused
ix3004re
Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem did you
have with worry or anxiety?
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-3-refused
ixaa2rer,
ixab2rer,
ixac2rer,
ixad2rer
Depression vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-4-not ascertained
-3-refused
-2-inappropriate
-1-don’t know
ixaa3rer,
ixab3rer,
ixac3rer,
ixad3rer
Anxiety vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-4-not ascertained
-3-refused
-2-inappropriate
-1-don’t know
364
ixma2rer,
ixmb2rer,
ixmc2rer,
ixmd2rer
Mobility vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-4-not ascertained
-3-refused
-2-inappropriate
-1-don’t know
ixma3rer,
ixmb3rer,
ixmc3rer,
ixmd3rer
Vigorous activities vignettes.
1-none
2-mild
3-moderate
4-severe
5-extreme
-4-not ascertained
-3-refused
-2-inappropriate
-1-don’t know
Panel R5.2. Functionality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
gx340re
Because of any impairment or health problems, do you
need the help of other persons in handling routine
needs?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixch01re
Does your health limit moderate activities, such as
moving a table, pushing a vacuum cleaning, bowling,
or playing golf?
1-yes, limited a lot
2-yes, limited a little
3-no, not limited at all
-3-refused
ixch02re
Does your health limit climbing several flights of
stairs?
1-yes, limited a lot
2-yes, limited a little
3-no, not limited at all
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
ixch03re
Does your health limit lifting or carrying something as
heavy as 10 lbs., such as a bag of groceries?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixch04re
Does your health limit lifting or carrying something as
heavy as 25 lbs., such as a bag of pet food?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
-1-don’t know
ixch05re
Does your health limit pushing or pulling large objects
such as a living room chair?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixch06re
Does your health limit standing or being on your feet
for one hour?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
365
ixch07re
Does your health limit sitting for one hour?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixch08re
Does your health limit stooping, crouching, or
kneeling?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ixch09re
Does your health limit reaching over your head?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
Panel R5.3. Chronic Conditions
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
gx341re
Has a doctor every told you that you have high blood
pressure or hypertension?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
gx342re
Has a doctor ever told you that you have diabetes?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
gx343re
In what year were you first diagnosed with diabetes?
(year)
-1-don’t know
-2-inapprorpriate
-3-refused
gx344re
In order to treat or control your diabetes, are you now
taking medications that you swallow?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
gx345re
In order to treat or control your diabetes, are you now using
insulin shots or a pump?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
gx346re
Has a doctor every told you that you have high blood sugar?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
gx347re
In what year were you first diagnosed with high blood
sugar?
(year)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
gx348re
Has a doctor ever told you that you have cancer or a
malignant tumor, not including minor skin cancers?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
gx349re
In what year was your cancer or malignant tumor, not
including minor skin cancers, diagnosed?
(year)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
366
gx350ere
Organ or part of graduate’s body first cancer or malignant
tumor occurred. This is only the colon, female breast, or
prostate.
1-malignant neoplasm of
color
2-malignant neoplasm of
female breast
3-malignant neoplasm or
prostate
-2-inappropriate
ix085rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have
asthma?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ix089rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have
chronic bronchitis/emphysema?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
gx351re
Has a doctor ever told you that you had a heart attack,
coronary heart disease, angina, congestive heart
failure, or other heart problems?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
gx352re
Did you have a heart attack or myocardial infarction?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
gx353re
In what year did you have your most recent heart attack or
myocardial infarction?
(year)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
gx354re
Have you ever had a special test or treatment of your heart
where tubes were inserted into your veins or arteries—i.e.
cardiac catheterization, coronary angiogram, or
angioplasty?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
gx355re
Have you ever had surgery on your heart?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
gx356re
Has a doctor every told you that you had a stroke?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
gx357re
In what year did you last have a stroke?
(year)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
gx358re
Do you still have any remaining health problems because of
your stroke, such as muscle weakness or difficulty speaking?
1-yes
2-no
-2-inappropriate
gx359re
Do you sometimes have pain, stiffness, or swelling in your
joints?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
367
gx360re
Have you ever had, or has a doctor ever told you that
you have, arthritis or rheumatism?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
gx361re
Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
gx362bre
What was the specific diagnosis of your second mental
illness? These are ICD-9 codes.
(codes; range: 290-780)
-2-inappropriate
ix090rer
How much does your chronic bronchitis/emphysema
currently interfere with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix142rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have chronic
sinus problems?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ix142are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
chronic sinus problems?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix143rer
How much do your chronic sinus problems currently
interfere with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix103rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have
circulation problems?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix103are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
circulation problems?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix104rer
How much do your circulation problems currently interfere
with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix144rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have
fibromyalgia?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
368
ix144are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
fibromyalgia?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix145rer
How much does your fibromyalgia currently interfere with
what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix146rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have high
cholesterol?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix146are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with high
cholesterol?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix147rer
How much does your high cholesterol currently interfere
with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix148rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have irritable
bowel syndrome?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-3-refused
ix148are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
irritable bowel syndrome?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix149rer
How much does your irritable bowel syndrome currently
interfere with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix105rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have
kidney/bladder problems?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix105are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
kidney/bladder problems?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
369
ix106rer
How much do your kidney/bladder problems currently
interfere with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix111rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have multiple
sclerosis?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix111are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis?
(age)
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix112rer
How much does your multiple sclerosis currently interfere
with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix150rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have
osteoporosis?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix150are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
osteoporosis?
(age)
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix151rer
How much does your osteoporosis currently interfere with
what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix097rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have serious
back trouble?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
ix097are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
serious back trouble?
(age)
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix098rer
How much does your serious back trouble currently
interfere with what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix107rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have an ulcer?
1-yes
2-no
-3-refused
370
ix107are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with an
ulcer?
(age)
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix018rer
How much does you ulcer currently interfere with what you
like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix152rer
Has a medical professional ever said that you have prostate
problems?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix152are
How old were you when you were first diagnosed with
prostate problems?
(age)
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ix153rer
How much do prostate problems currently interfere with
what you like to do?
1-not at all
2-very little
3-some
4-quite a bit
5-a great deal
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixf08rer
Has your biological father had diabetes/high blood sugar?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixm08rer
Has your biological mother had diabetes/high blood sugar?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixb08rer
Have any of your biological brothers had diabetes/high
blood sugar?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
ixs08rer
Have any of your biological sisters had diabetes/high blood
sugar?
1-yes
2-no
-1-don’t know
-2-inappropriate
-3-refused
Panel R5.5. Adult Mortality
Variable
Wording of Question/Description
Scale (if applicable)
gw006ifc
Cause of Graduate’s death. These are collapsed ICD-9
-18-unable to code
371
codes.
-1-don’t know
10-infectious & parasitic
diseases
20-neoplasms
30-endocrine,
nutritional, metabolic,
immunity
40-blood & blood-
forming organs
60-nervous system &
sense organs
70-circulatory system
80-respiratory system
90-digestive system
160-symptoms, signs &
ill-defined conditions
170-injury & poisoning
180-E codes
livgrad
Is the graduate alive as of current release as far as we
know?
1-yes, respondent is not
known to be deceased
2-no, respondent is
deceased
deatyr
Year of graduate’s death.
-9-missing
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
1957-2011-year of death
deatmn
Month of graduate’s death.
-4-not ascertained
-2-inappropriate
1-12-month of death
ndi01
Graduate’s NDI state of death.
1-Alabama
2-Alaska
3-Arizona
4-Arkansas
5-California
6-Colorado
7-Conecticut
9-District of Columbia
10-Florida
11-Georgia
12-Hawaii
13-Idaho
14-Illinois
15-Indiana
16-Iowa
17-Kansas
18-Kentucky
372
19-Louisiana
21-Maryland
22-Massachusetts
23-Michigan
24-Minnesota
25-Mississippi
26-Missouri
27-Montana
28-Nebraska
29-Nevada
31-New Jersey
32-New Mexico
33-New York
34-North Carolina
35-North Dakota
36-Ohio
37-Oklahoma
38-Oregon
39-Pennsylvania
41-South Carolina
42-South Dakota
43-Tennessee
44-Texas
45-Utah
47-Virginia
48-Washington
49-West Virginia
50-Wisconsin
51-Wyoming
ndi02
Graduate’s NDI ICD-9/ICD-10 cause of death.
“2396”
“2740”
“4029”
“7100”
“8902”
“C20”
“C259”
“C831”
“L089”
ndi03
Graduate’s NDI ICD-9/ICD-10 selected causes of death
282/358 recodes.
“04100”
“06300”
“093”
“20700”
“27800”
“29800”
“31800”
“32500”
“34200”
373
ndi04
Graduate’s NDI ICD-9/ICD-10 selected causes of death
17/113 recodes.
“018”
“028”
“034”
“040”
“052”
“071”
“075”
“120”
“670”
ndi05
Graduate’s NDI number of entity-axis conditions.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
ndi06
Graduate’s NDI 1
st
entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“11038990”
“1134810”
“114510”
“11C300”
“11C950”
“11M009”
“11R042”
“11T864”
“11T983”
ndi07
Graduate’s NDI 2nd entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“2157280”
“229331”
“22C349”
“3104490”
“3142410”
“3157110”
“31E119”
“31I10”
“31I350”
ndi08
Graduate’s NDI 3rd entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“2157280”
“229331”
“22C349”
“3104490”
374
“3142410”
“3157110”
“31E119”
“31I10”
“31I350”
ndi09
Graduate’s NDI 4th entity-axis condition.
-2-inapproriate
“3115090”
“32D619”
“41C259”
“41Y832”
“6199471”
“6224490”
“6294901”
“62D738”
“62N390”
ndi10
Graduate’s NDI 5th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“413300”
“6103100”
“6144290”
“6219690”
“63G35”
“63W10”
“64I269”
“64I719”
“64J984”
ndi11
Graduate’s NDI 6
th
entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“248681”
“3419700”
“5120190”
“61I255”
“6219910”
“62K529”
“62N289”
“63X59”
“64Q120”
ndi12
Graduate’s NDI 7th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“615860”
“6170700”
“62N179”
“62N180”
“63I500”
“63J90”
“6436900”
“645660”
“64I069”
375
ndi13
Graduate’s NDI 8th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“62J439”
“6334830”
“63E149”
“63E669”
“63G20”
“63I739”
“6534410”
“65I059”
ndi14
Graduate’s NDI 9
th
entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“3495871”
“3635920”
“5251880”
“6357220”
“6455330”
“6487890”
“64E149”
“64I99”
“64M139”
“67R628”
ndi15
Graduate’s NDI 10th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“617990”
“619241”
“6424490”
“65F171”
“68F179”
ndi16
Graduate’s NDI 11th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“629191”
“66F179”
ndi17
Graduate’s NDI 12th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“6381190”
ndi18
Graduate’s NDI 13th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi19
Graduate’s NDI 14th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi20
Graduate’s NDI 15th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi21
Graduate’s NDI 16th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi22
Graduate’s NDI 17th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi23
Graduate’s NDI 18
th
entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi24
Graduate’s NDI 19th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi25
Graduate’s NDI 20th entity-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi26
Graduate’s NDI number of record-axis conditions.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
376
8
9
10
11
ndi27
Graduate’s NDI 1
st
record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“19690”
“20280”
“27730”
“27800”
“33300”
“C20”
“C259”
“C831”
“L089”
ndi28
Graduate’s NDI 2nd record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“20280”
“27800”
“95500”
“97791”
“C20”
“C259”
“I442”
“K922”
“T909”
ndi29
Graduate’s NDI 2nd record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“56980”
“58290”
“72740”
“95500”
“E112”
“I442”
“I469”
“K922”
“R570”
ndi30
Graduate’s NDI 4
th
record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“57330”
“74550”
“95500”
“95991”
“97791”
“G35”
“I469”
“L089”
“R570”
377
ndi31
Graduate’s NDI 5th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“57890”
“95500”
“99681”
“I442”
“I469”
“K922”
“M480”
“R570”
“W08”
ndi32
Graduate’s NDI 6th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“42750”
“78720”
“79910”
“95841”
“99661”
“I490”
“K650”
“M519”
“R570”
ndi33
Graduate’s NDI 7th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“51190”
“55330”
“57280”
“57380”
“9120”
“I679”
“R529”
“R570”
“R579”
ndi34
Graduate’s NDI 8th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“51880”
“57890”
“58450”
“79190”
“79910”
“8731”
“9331”
“R579”
“R628”
“W80”
“X04”
“Y832”
378
Source: Documentation from the following source was used to compile the tables above. Herd,
P., Hauser, R.M., Herd, P., & Sewell, W.H. Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) [graduates,
siblings, and spouses]. 1957-2005 Version 12.27 [machine-readable data file]. Madison, WI:
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WLS [distributor], accessed 2012-07-01.
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/documentation/.
Notes:
NOTE A. There are several additional variables which may be of interest but which are not
included in the country-specific data file. A description of these variables appears below.
Note A, Panel R2.3. The mailed survey has two versions of the SES ladder, comparing the
respondent to others in the United States and others in the respondent’s community.
Note A, Panel R3.3. To get total height, the feet and inches components must be combined.
There are several questions about how the respondent is feeling in the mailed survey.
Note A, Panel R4.2. There is an additional question in the mailed survey which asks, “Overall in
the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you have with vigorous activities, such as running 2
miles or cycling?”
Note A, Table R5. WLS includes several questions about health symptoms in its questionnaire.
Variables beginning with “ix” come from the mailed survey; variables beginning with “gx” come
from the telephone survey.
Note A, Panel R5.2. The mailed survey has several other functionality questions. Additionally,
WLS collected saliva from respondents which will be used for DNA analyses. This information is
ndi35
Graduate’s NDI 9th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“57680”
“5860”
“79910”
“8821”
“99811”
“T818”
ndi36
Graduate’s NDI 10th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“78550”
“9191”
“Y839”
ndi37
Graduate’s NDI 11th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
“9241”
ndi38
Graduate’s NDI 12th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi39
Graduate’s NDI 13
th
record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi40
Graduate’s NDI 14th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi41
Graduate’s NDI 15th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi42
Graduate’s NDI 16
th
record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi43
Graduate’s NDI 17th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi44
Graduate’s NDI 18th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi45
Graduate’s NDI 19th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
ndi46
Graduate’s NDI 20th record-axis condition.
-2-inappropriate
379
only available via the WLS secure server. In version 12.27 which was used in the cross national
data set there are no variables regarding the DNA data.
NOTE B.
The WLS data used in the cross national data set come from the private access data file and last
used version released in spring 2012.

Navigation menu