The Second Supplement on Aging (SOA II) is a collaborative effort of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The SOA II replicates the first SOA roughly 10 years later with a new cohort of persons 70 years of age and over. Because the SOA II closely replicates the SOA in its methodology and content, it is uniquely poised to provide the data necessary for analyzing important temporal changes in health and functioning among older Americans. The SOA II was conducted as part of the Phase II National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D), a followup supplement to the 1994 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The sample is nationally representative and comprised of 9,447 civilian noninstitutionalized persons who were 70 years of age and over at the time of the SOA II interview. Data were obtained through personal interviews in the household, collected by U.S. Census Bureau interviewers.
The SOA II data file contains information from several sources, including the 1994 NHIS core questionnaire, the 1994 Family Resources Supplement, and Phase I of the 1994 National Health Interview Survey on Disability. Below is an overview of data file variables at a glance:
NOTE: The questionnaires administered during the NHIS-D Phase II/ SOA II interview were designed to be fully comprehensive; hence, with the exception of a few demographic and background characteristics, all questions considered to be critical to the objectives of the NHIS-D and the SOA II were included in the Phase II questionnaires. There are a number of questions from the 1994 NHIS core interview and supplements that are thought to be complementary to the data obtained at Phase II, however, and these measures are included in the SOA II file. Data users must always keep in mind, therefore, that data from the 1994 NHIS core, 1994 Family Resources Supplement, and 1994 Phase I NHIS-D were collected at an earlier point in time (7-17 months) than data from the Phase II questionnaires and may have been provided by a respondent other than the sample person and other than the respondent for Phase II.
The SOA II sample is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population 70 years of age and over at mid-year 1995. Baseline geographic indicators include the four major census regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West), type of primary sampling unit (based on 1970 census), and SMSA/Non-SMSA residence status.
The latest version of the SOA II is available on CD-ROM: The Second Supplement on Aging, 1994, Version 2, No. 1 (issued September 1998). This CD-ROM includes all data listed above under Data File Contents. To request a copy of the CD-ROM or diskettes, e-mail nchsquery@cdc.gov or telephone (301) 458-INFO.
To date, no detailed description of the SOA II has been published, however, the codebook accompanying the SOA II data file on CD-ROM contains a comprehensive overview of the sample design and survey methodology.
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