Respondent driven sampling (RDS) is a recruitment method for hard-to-sample populations that are rare in number and/or elusive due to highly-stigmatized or illicit behaviors. For these groups, traditional probability sampling loses its feasibility, because it requires prohibitively high screening costs to locate eligible persons, and, even when eligible persons are located, their desire to hide… Continue reading Improving Reproducibility of Respondent Driven Sampling through Adaptive Design
Research Theme: ISR
Exploring Design Aspects of Web-Based Respondent-Driven Sampling for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Increasing minority data availability is a priority of the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Currently available research data for racial/ethnicity minorities are, however, inadequate in their sample sizes and, hence, do not provide sufficient statistical power for analysis. Web-based respondent driven sampling (Web-RDS) is an extension of RDS, which exploits… Continue reading Exploring Design Aspects of Web-Based Respondent-Driven Sampling for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Epigenetic Mediation of Adverse Social Context on Stress Response, Socioemotional Development, and Health in a Population-based Study of Minority and Low SES Children and Adolescents
Pronounced disparities exist by race, ethnicity, and SES in children and adolescents across a range of health conditions, and many adult health disparities can be traced to childhood social contextual inequalities. Epigenetics — modifications to the genome that are not changes in nucleotide sequence — holds great promise as potential indicators of contextual effects and… Continue reading Epigenetic Mediation of Adverse Social Context on Stress Response, Socioemotional Development, and Health in a Population-based Study of Minority and Low SES Children and Adolescents
Caregiving for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Enhancing the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC)
The goal of this project is to build upon the National Health and Aging Trends Study and the National Study of Caregiving to provide new national data that will enhance understanding of caregiving for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Aims are to: 1. Re-interview caregivers that participated in the 2015 NSOC… Continue reading Caregiving for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Enhancing the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC)
Alzheimer’s Disease Risk and Ethnic Factors: The Case of Arab Americans
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) afflicts 11% of the U.S. population aged 65 and over, and half of these cases go undiagnosed. The incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD is higher among many racial/ ethnic minorities, but rates among Arab Americans, who possess more cardiovascular risk factors than whites, are unknown. The first of its… Continue reading Alzheimer’s Disease Risk and Ethnic Factors: The Case of Arab Americans
Grace Noppert
Dr. Noppert’s work lies at the intersection of biology, sociology, and epidemiology. Her work seeks to explain how social processes across the life course, such as socioeconomic status, impact a person’s biology. For example, does experiencing persistent disadvantage throughout life contribute to premature aging of the immune system? She began her work as an infectious… Continue reading Grace Noppert
Levy,Helen G
Dr. Levy’s research interests include the causes and consequences of lacking health insurance, evaluation of public health insurance programs, and material hardship among older Americans. She is a Co-Investigator on the Health and Retirement Study, a long-running longitudinal study of health and economic dynamics at older ages.
Mick Couper
Dr. Couper’s current research interests include survey non-response, design and implementation of survey data collection, effects of technology on the survey process, and computer-assisted surveys, including both interviewer-administered (CATI and CAPI) and self-administered (web, audio-CASI, IVR) surveys. His current projects focus on consent to administrative record linkage, and participation rates and selection biases associated with… Continue reading Mick Couper
Mary Beth Ofstedal
Dr. Ofstedal is a demographer whose work focuses on population aging. She is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Social Research, where she serves as a Co-Investigator and Associate Director on the Health and Retirement Study. Her research interests include intergenerational relations and support, the connections between socioeconomic status and health, transitions in health… Continue reading Mary Beth Ofstedal
Rowan,Brian P
Brian Rowan is the Burke A. Hinsdale Collegiate Professor in Education, a research professor at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, and a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan. A sociologist by training (PhD, Stanford University), Rowan’s research has focused on the organization and management of schooling, paying special attention to… Continue reading Rowan,Brian P