Health and Retirement Study
The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a longitudinal panel study that surveys a representative sample of approximately 20,000 people in America, supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA U01AG009740) and the Social Security Administration.
Through its unique and in-depth interviews, the HRS provides an invaluable and growing body of multidisciplinary data that researchers can use to address important questions about the challenges and opportunities of aging. The HRS helps to:
-
Explain the antecedents and consequences of retirement
- Examine the relationships among health, income, and wealth over time
- Examine life cycle patterns of wealth accumulation and consumption
- Monitor work disability
- Examine how the mix and distribution of economic, family, and program resources affect key outcomes, including retirement, “dissaving,” health declines, and institutionalization
- Start Year
- 1992
Visit HRS
| Investigators | Contacts |
|---|---|
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Design
- Study design
- Cohort
- Follow Up
-
Follow-up of participants every two years
- Supplementary Information
Marker Paper
Sonnega, A., Faul, J., Ofstedal, M.B., Langa, K., Phillips, J., & Weir, D. (2014). Cohort profile: the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). International Journal of Epidemiology, 43, 576-585. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyu067
PUBMED 24671021
Recruitment
- Recruitment Target
-
- Individuals
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- No Limit
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- No Limit
- Supplementary Information
- ~20,000 active participants per wave
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
Timeline
Populations
The HRS sub-sample, consists of people who were born in 1931 through 1941 and were household residents of the conterminous U.S. in the spring 1992, and their spouses or partners who could be of any age.
Institutionalized persons (prisons, jails, nursing homes, long-term or dependent care facilities) are excluded from the initial survey population. Respondents are followed as they transition to nursing homes.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
-
51
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
-
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- General population
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 15,497
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 10,026
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
- Since 2006, the enhanced face-to-face interview administers physical tests and obtain biological specimens.
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 1
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
1992-04 | 1993-03 |
| 1 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 2
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
1994-04 | 1994-12 |
| 2 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 3
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
1996-05 | 1997-02 |
| 3 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 4
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
1998-02 | 1999-03 |
| 4 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 5
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2000-02 | 2001-01 |
| 5 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 6
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2002-04 | 2003-03 |
| 6 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 7
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2004-03 | 2005-02 |
| 7 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 8
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2006-03 | 2007-02 |
| 8 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 9
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2008-02 | 2009-02 |
| 9 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 10
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2010-02 | 2011-11 |
| 10 |
HRS - sub-sample - Wave 11
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2012-04 | 2013-04 |
The Asset and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) sub-sample consists of people who were born in 1923 or earlier, were household residents of the conterminous U.S. in the spring 1992, and were still household residents at the time of their first interview in 1993 or 1994, and their spouses or partners who could be of any age.
AHEAD uses the same national probability sample of U.S. households with supplemental oversamples of Blacks, Hispanics and residents of the state of Florida as the HRS, but a dual frame approach was used for individuals born prior to 1914.
The assignment of households to the two groups is based on the age of the oldest person in the household financial unit. If the single adult or either spouse in a married couple was born prior to 1914, the household financial unit is assigned to Group 2. If the single adult or both persons in a married couple were born after 1913 the household financial unit is assigned to Group 1. The full national sample of AHEAD-eligible households is divided approximately 60% to Group 1 and 40% to Group 2. Under the AHEAD sample design, Group 1 households are selected exclusively from the area probability (AP) frame component. Group 2 households are selected using a dual-frame design, roughly 50% of the Group 2 sample originating with the AP frame and the remaining 50% from a stratified sampling from a list frame of Medicare enrollees.
AHEAD Group 1 households were interviewed by telephone except in cases where there was no telephone in the household or the respondent was unable to complete the interview by telephone. Their spouses were also interviewed by telephone. Most respondents in Group 2. were interviewed face- to-face in their homes, although telephone interviews were permitted in cases where the respondent preferred the telephone mode. Face-to- face interviews were also the primary mode of Wave 1 data collection for the spouses of these respondents, irrespective of the spouse's age.Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
-
70
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
-
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- General population
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 10,229
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 2,979
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
- Since 2006, the enhanced face-to-face interview administers physical tests and obtain biological specimens.
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 2
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
1993-10 | 1994-07 |
| 1 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 3
|
Sample members born in the years 1914-17 were randomly assigned to be interviewed by telephone or face-to-face. All respondents age 80 and older were interviewed face-to-face. The core ... |
1995-11 | 1996-06 |
| 2 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 4
|
The HRS and AHEAD studies were merged, with a single interview schedule in 1998. Sample members born in the years 1918-20 were randomly assigned to be interviewed by telephone or ... |
1998-02 | 1999-03 |
| 3 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 5
|
The interviews in respondents aged 80 and older were conducted face-to-face, and the rest by telephone. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, ... |
2000-02 | 2001-01 |
| 4 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 6
|
The interviews in respondents aged 80 and older were conducted face-to-face, and the rest by telephone. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, ... |
2002-04 | 2003-03 |
| 5 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 7
|
As all respondents aged 80 and older, interviews were all conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional ... |
2004-03 | 2005-02 |
| 6 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 8
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2006-03 | 2007-02 |
| 7 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 9
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2008-02 | 2009-02 |
| 8 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 10
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2010-02 | 2011-11 |
| 9 |
HRS - AHEAD sub-sample - Wave 11
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2012-04 | 2013-04 |
The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample consists of people who were born in 1924 through 1930, were household residents of the conterminous U.S. when first interviewed in 1998.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
-
68
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
-
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- General population
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 3,200
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 1,770
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
- Since 2006, the enhanced face-to-face interview administers physical tests and obtain biological specimens.
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 4
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
1998-02 | 1999-03 |
| 1 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 5
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2000-02 | 2001-01 |
| 2 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 6
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2002-04 | 2003-03 |
| 3 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 7
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2004-03 | 2005-02 |
| 4 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 8
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2006-03 | 2007-02 |
| 5 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 9
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2008-02 | 2009-02 |
| 6 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 10
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2010-02 | 2011-11 |
| 7 |
HRS - The Children of the Depression (CODA) sub-sample - Wave 11
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2012-04 | 2013-04 |
The War Baby (WB) sub-sample consists of people who were born in 1942 through 1947, were household residents of the conterminous U.S. in the spring 1992, who, at that time, did not have a spouse or partner born before 1924 or between 1931 and 1941, and were still household residents at the time of the first interview in 1998, and their spouses or partners at the time of the initial interview or at the time of any subsequent interview.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
-
51
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
-
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- General population
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 3,619
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 2,539
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
- Since 2006, the enhanced face-to-face interview administers physical tests and obtain biological specimens.
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 4
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
1998-02 | 1999-03 |
| 1 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 5
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2000-02 | 2001-01 |
| 2 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 6
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2002-04 | 2003-03 |
| 3 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 7
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2004-03 | 2005-02 |
| 4 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 8
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2006-03 | 2007-02 |
| 5 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 9
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2008-02 | 2009-02 |
| 6 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 10
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2010-02 | 2011-11 |
| 7 |
HRS - The War Baby (WB) sub-sample - Wave 11
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2012-04 | 2013-04 |
The Early Baby Boomer (EBB) sub-sample consists of people who were born in 1948 through 1953, were household residents of the U.S. when first interviewed in 2004, and their spouses or partners of any age.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
-
51
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
-
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- General population
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 4,420
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 3,461
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
- Since 2006, the enhanced face-to-face interview administers physical tests and obtain biological specimens.
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
HRS - The Early Baby Boomer (EBB) sub-sample - Wave 7
|
The interviews were conducted face-to-face. The core questionnaires included sections directed at: demographic background, health status, functional limitations, housing, family ... |
2004-03 | 2005-02 |
| 1 |
HRS - The Early Baby Boomer (EBB) sub-sample - Wave 8
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2006-03 | 2007-02 |
| 2 |
HRS - The Early Baby Boomer (EBB) sub-sample - Wave 9
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2008-02 | 2009-02 |
| 3 |
HRS - The Early Baby Boomer (EBB) sub-sample - Wave 10
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2010-02 | 2011-11 |
| 4 |
HRS - The Early Baby Boomer (EBB) sub-sample - Wave 11
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2012-04 | 2013-04 |
The Mid Baby Boomer (MBB) sub-sample consists of people who were born between 1954 and 1959, were household residents of the U.S. when first interviewed in 2010/2011, along with their spouses or partners of any age.
The EBB and MBB sub-samples were supplemented in the 2010 wave with a sample of individuals residing in areas with 10% or higher concentrations of Black and/or Hispanic populations in order to boost the size of the minority samples in those cohorts.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
-
51
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
-
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- General population
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 4,992
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 4,992
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
HRS - The Mid Baby Boomer (MBB) sub-sample - Wave 10
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2010-02 | 2011-11 |
| 1 |
HRS - The Mid Baby Boomer (MBB) sub-sample - Wave 11
|
The interviews were conducted by using the enhanced face-to-face: a mixed-mode design in which half of the sample is assigned a face-to-face interview with physical and biological measures and ... |
2012-04 | 2013-04 |
Classifications
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Diseases
- Symptoms and signs
- Medication and supplements
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Health and community care services utilization
- Death
- Physical measures and assessments
- Laboratory measures
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Preschool, school and work life
- Social environment and relationships
- Physical environment
- Administrative information
- Cognitive functioning
- Personality
- Psychological distress and emotions
- Other psychological measures and assessments
- Perception of health
- Quality of life
- Life course development
- Functional limitations
- Other perception of health, quality of life and functional limitation-related information
Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
Lifestyle and behaviours
Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
Diseases
Symptoms and signs
Medication and supplements
Non-pharmacological interventions
Health and community care services utilization
Death
Physical measures and assessments
Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
Preschool, school and work life
Administrative information
Cognitive functioning
Psychological distress and emotions
Functional limitations