The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) is a longitudinal, population-based study of health and social factors, aiming to understand the well-being of older, community-dwelling Americans. The project examines the interactions among physical health and illness, medication use, cognitive function, emotional health, sensory function, health behaviors, social connectedness, sexuality, and relationship quality. This workshop will orient participants to the content, structure, and utility of NSHAP, with an emphasis on data access, analysis, and new findings. We encourage any researcher who is currently using NSHAP data to attend, along with prospective dataset users and anyone who wants to learn more about the project.

Presenters will provide:

• An introduction to the background and aims of the study and its unique contributions
• An overview of the NSHAP survey and biomeasure data collection methods across four waves (2005, 2010, 2015, 2020)
• A basic tutorial on data access and analysis
• A summary of some of the most interesting published work on the NSHAP dataset
• A brief exploration of untapped possibilities for analysis of the NSHAP dataset

Presenters:

• Linda Waite, PhD, Lucy Flowers Professor of Urban Sociology, University of Chicago
• Louise Hawkley, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, NORC at the University of Chicago​
• Diane Lauderdale, PhD, Professor and Chair of Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago
• Martha McClintock, PhD, Institute Member Emerita at Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago