Historical Life Course & Social Determinants of Health Data
The ACT Study administers a one-time Life Course Survey to participants focused on early life course and environmental exposures. Through the efforts of its Life Course Core, ACT has also added additional life course variables to various baseline and biennial study forms and questionnaires, including questions about material hardship and retirement transitions. ACT also collects historic address data that facilitates geocoded linkages to publicly available data, such as U.S. Census data and other environmental characteristics.
Study Forms
- Life Course Survey - The Life Course Core developed this survey to focus on early life exposures and other life course factors. It is completed once by each current ACT participant starting during the U19 funding period.
- ACT Study Visit Data - The Life Course Core has added life course variables to various study questionnaires, including questions about material hardship and retirement transitions. These are asked at baseline and biennial visits.
- Geocoded data - The Life Course Core is also working on geocoding ACT participants and linkages to publicly available data. Due to its identifiable nature, this data may not be readily available for external sharing at this time.
Key Publications
The following publications provide additional detail on the life course data elements. These may be helpful supporting citations when publishing analyses using these data.
- Tom SE, Hubbard RA, Crane PK, Haneuse SJ, Bowen J, McCormick WC, McCurry S, Larson EB. (2015). Characterization of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in an older population: updated incidence and life expectancy with and without dementia. American Journal of Public Health, 105(2), 408-13. doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301935
- Tom SE, Phadke M, Hubbard RA, Crane PK, Stern Y, Larson EB. (2020). Association of Association of Demographic and Early-Life Socioeconomic Factors by Birth Cohort With Dementia Incidence Among US Adults Born Between 1893 and 1949. JAMA Network Open, 3(7), e2011094. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.11094.
- Power MC, Murphy AE, Gianattasio KZ, Zhang YI, Walker RL, Crane PK, Larson EB, Gibbons LE, Kumar RG, Dams-O'Connor K. (2021). Association of Military Employment With Late-Life Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study. Military Medicine, usab413. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab413.