Welcome Researchers

This website provides researchers access to data, documentation and other resources for the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). If you are an NHATS or NSOC participant, please visit www.mynhats.org.

Welcome Researchers

This website provides researchers access to data, documentation and other resources for the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). If you are an NHATS or NSOC participant, please visit www.mynhats.org.

About NHATS & NSOC

Begun in 2011, the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) conducts annual in-person interviews with a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 or older. Designed as a platform for scientific study of late-life disability trends and trajectories, NHATS fosters research to reduce disability, maximize independent functioning, and enhance quality of life at older ages. Online dashboards and a companion chartbook track trends. The supplemental National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) is conducted periodically to provide the perspective of family and friends who help older adults experiencing limitations in daily life. Support for NHATS and NSOC is provided by the National Institute on Aging.

Announcements

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New Online Course for Beginners5/20/2022

NHATS has created an online course for beginners, available through the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA).

This self-paced set of modules is designed for researchers who are learning to use the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). There is an optional module for learning to use the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). 

The workshop is organized into three sections that take approximately 4-5 hours altogether to complete: Getting to know NHATS; Learning to use NHATS; and Using NHATS.
  
To register, please visit https://nhats.org/researcher/nhats/videos.

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New Procedures for Requesting and Accessing NHATS-CMS Linked Data5/19/2022

New procedures for obtaining restricted NHATS-CMS linked files have been posted. NHATS-CMS linked data files will now be made available through the Health and Aging Data (HaAD) Enclave.  A few key changes:
   •    The HaAD Enclave is accessible from the applicant's institution or other specified location; research teams may share directories across institutions
   •    DUAs will be required with JHU and NIA (rather than CMS); Federal funding is no longer required to apply
   •    Claims and assessment files are available through 2021 with more timely and frequent updates expected than in the past
   •    Output will be reviewed by NHATS for disclosure risk before removal from the enclave  
For more information, please see "Obtaining CMS Data for the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS)". 
 

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2023-2024 NHATS/NSOC Webinar Series9/7/2023

Please join us for the 2023-2024 NHATS/NSOC Webinar Series. Webinars will be held monthly from 12-1 PM (ET) on Fridays via Zoom. To receive reminders with login information, please register.

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NHATS Long-Term Care Market Measures9/7/2023

We are pleased to share that new Long-Term Care Market Measures (LTCMM) are available to link to NHATS and NSOC in the NHATS Restricted Data Repository. The LTCMM files include county-level market measures reflecting the availability of long-term care services and supports in the United States. This release includes measures for 2010 through 2020. Please see the “National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Long-Term Care Market Measures User Guide” for more details.

For information about accessing the files, see "Obtaining National Health and Aging Trends Study Restricted Data from the NHATS Restricted Data Repository".

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NSOC IV (Rd 12) Beta Data Released8/31/2023

A beta version of the NSOC IV (Rd 12) data files is now available. Data files are available in SAS and Stata formats. Users may now apply for access to these files under NHATS’ sensitive data procedures. 

The user is cautioned that there may be inconsistencies and/or errors in the beta data release that will be addressed before releasing the final files. Users are encouraged to document issues that they find in an email to NHATSdata@westat.com.

Updated documentation includes: 
•    Revised NSOC IV User Guide, 
•    Instruments, and
•    Crosswalk between the instruments and the codebook.

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