Details Pertaining to
Demographic Questionnaire
Principal Investigator:
Barbara Hiscock
Collaborating Investigators: Carolyn Bacal
Year First Collected: 1991
Year Last Collected: 1998
Frequency of Collection: n/a
Subset Data Files on the VMS Cluster? Files info804.*, Active as of 11/97.
Available to all users authorized to access Common BLSA Data Set.
Data Type Notes:
Descriptive history:
The questionnaire was introduced into the BLSA in 1991. Prior to 1991, the demographic items
collected were part of the medical history forms (which were different for men and women).
There were three open-ended items (formal education, marital status, and present vocation) on
the men's questionnaire, developed in 1963, and more extensive and detailed items on education,
marital status and occupation. In some instances, "standardized" categories were referenced and
used, with some modification, e.g., occupational categories of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Development of the questionnaires was continued by the BLSA Medical Officer and the group of
Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants brought on to perform the BLSA physical
examinations.
Data collection method/frequency:
The questionnaire is sent to participant two weeks before each visit to be completed or updated at
home and brought to the GRC along with other completed forms, e.g., medical history. After a
participant has completed this questionnaire for the first time, she or he is shown responses from
the previous visit, and asked only to update information, and the file is changed accordingly.
Because of the nature of the information, this file is cumulative, not "visit-based," as are most
BLSA files, so there is not a record of the responses each visit.
Inclusion/exclusion rules:
No exclusions.
JM -
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