The following data are now available to Add Health contract researchers.
Wave V Baroreflex Sensitivity and Hemodynamic Recovery
This file contains constructed measures for baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate recovery, and systolic blood pressure recovery for the Wave V respondents. N=5,381
Wave V Measures of Inflammation and Immune Function
This file contains additional measures of inflammation and immune function based on venous blood collected via phlebotomy at the Wave V home exam and then assayed for several cytokines (IL-1β; IL-6; IL-8; IL-10; TNF-α) and anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG. N=5,381
Wave V Neurodegeneration
This file contains two measures of neurodegeneration based on venous blood collected via phlebotomy at the Wave V home exam and then assayed for neurofilament light (NfL) and tau. N=5,381
Current Add Health investigators can log in to the CPC Data Portal and use the “Request More Data” button to order these datasets.
Add Health is excited to attend the PAA 2024 annual meeting from April 17 to 20, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. Add Health Director, Dr. Robert Hummer and other members of the team will present during the conference. Also, be sure to stop by our booth #408 to discover more about Add Health, speak with project staff, and learn about our valuable data resources.
The Carolina Population Center is seeking a highly skilled and motivated individual to join our team as a Research Scientist in the population sciences. This position will involve working on the NIH-funded National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a critical project in understanding health trajectories from adolescence into adulthood.
Position: Research Scientist Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina Duration: Full-time
The selected candidate will play a pivotal role in understanding the complex design of Add Health, developing weights for analytic files, preparing and documenting data sets for public release, addressing analytic questions from users, assisting with data analysis and presentations, writing analytic user’s guides, conducting workshops on effectively using Add Health data, and contributing to grant applications and publications.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant bachelor’s degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.
Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:
Degree in Demography, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Sociology, or related field.
Experience in data analysis.
Familiarity with large-scale complex population-based surveys, including design, weighting, and analysis.
Demonstrated experience in academic analysis and writing, public speaking and presentation, and quantitative research methodologies.
Substantial experience using SAS and/or Stata.
Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:
Experience in population-based data analysis.
Familiarity with large-scale complex population-based surveys, including design, weighting, and analysis.
Experience working on NIH grant proposals.
Experience working with data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health).
In recent decades, the pervasive issue of mass incarceration in the United States has cast a long shadow, affecting not only those imprisoned but also their families. However, little attention has been given to how parental incarceration impacts the hopes and ambitions of children. In response, a study by Baker (2023) used Add Health’s parental incarceration data from Wave I and Wave IV to analyze the effects of this adversity on children’s expectations and aspirations.
Baker’s study revealed a strong association between paternal incarceration and a notable decline in youth expectations and aspirations, shedding light on a critical pathway through which mass incarceration perpetuates intergenerational inequality. Despite controlling for variables, the research found that children whose fathers had been in prison reported feeling significantly worse about their future and the things they think they can achieve.
As paternal incarceration remains prevalent, particularly among marginalized communities, policymakers should look into targeted interventions that address the systemic challenges underlying the issue and provide support and resources for affected children to encourage positive aspirations and break the cycle of inequality.
Author(s)
Garrett Baker, PhD Candidate
Citation
Baker, Garrett (2023). Shattered Dreams: Paternal Incarceration, Youth Expectations, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Disadvantage. Sociological Science. vol. 10 (20). https://doi.org/10.15195/v10.a20
The abstract submission deadline for the 2024 Add Health Users Conference is fast approaching. While any papers using Add Health data including both substantive and methodological topics are welcome, we strongly encourage abstracts that:
Use Wave V data
Examine health disparities and/or focus on racial/ethnic minoritized populations
Study genetic and environmental influences on health and behavior
Use biomarker data
Use longitudinal social, behavioral, and environmental data
Use cognitive data
Study life course trajectories of health, family, education, and labor force participation
Use data from the Add Health Parent Study
Abstracts must be submitted by Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Please use the abstract submission form on the Users Conference Website here. For more information, view the full Call for Papers.
The Kohli Foundation for Sociology awarded Dr. Kathleen Mullan Harris the prestigious Infrastructure Prize for Sociology 2023 for her work on Add Health.
The Kohli Foundation, known for its commitment to recognizing and promoting excellence in sociology and its interdisciplinary connections, acknowledged Dr. Harris’s exceptional efforts in shaping the infrastructure of sociological research. The Infrastructure Prize for Sociology not only celebrates her past achievements but also reflects confidence in her continued leadership and contributions to sociology. The award ceremony took place at the European University Institute in Fiesole, Italy.
Dr. Harris has made outstanding contributions to the field of sociology and has been an integral part of Add Health, having served as its director from 2004 to 2021. She is the James E. Haar Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Add Health is now accepting abstracts for the 2024 Users Conference. Any papers using Add Health data are welcome, include both substantive & methodological topics. We strongly urge abstracts that:
Use Wave V data
Examine health disparities and/or focus on racial/ethnic minority populations
Study genetic and environmental influences on health and behavior
Use biomarker data
Use longitudinal social, behavioral, and environmental data
Use cognitive data
Study life course trajectories of health, family, education, and labor force participation
Use data from the Add Health Parent Study
Abstracts must be submitted by Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Please use the abstract submission form on the Users Conference Website here. For more information, view the full Call for Papers.
Add Health will be attending the Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) annual meeting this week on November 8-11, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. Learn how the health of this aging cohort is impacted by various factors such as social, economic, and environmental conditions over the life-course as well as recently added cognitive measures to the current wave of data collection. Visit the Add Health booth #211 during exhibit hours to speak with AH staff and learn about our incredible data.
For more information on this year’s meeting, visit the GSA website.
Air pollution is a global environmental challenge that continues to pose significant threats to human health. While the harmful effects of air pollution on respiratory health are well documented, emerging research now highlights its profound impact on cardiovascular health as well. A recent study, drawing upon data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) and the Fused Air Quality Surface using Downscaling (FAQSD) archive, sheds light on the long-term consequences of air pollution exposure on the cardiovascular and metabolic health of young adults between the ages of 24 and 34.
Mercedes A. Bravo et al. analyzed multi-year estimates of exposure to ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5µm or less (PM2.5) for Add Health participants to determine the associations between these air pollution exposures and various biomarkers of cardiometabolic health including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, C-reactive protein, and metabolic syndrome. The study considered data from 2002 to 2007, aligning these exposures with measurements taken at Wave IV of the Add Health study in 2008 to 2009 and included adjustments for age, race/ethnicity, and sex. The findings suggest that young adults exposed to elevated levels of O3 and PM2.5 are at a heightened risk of developing cardiovascular issues like hypertension, obesity, and diabetes as well as metabolic syndrome. The study also observed race/ethnicity differences in the exposure to PM2.5 and O3, with Non-Hispanic Black participants having the highest exposure to both O3 and PM2.5
The longitudinal design of the Add Health data from Wave I to V allows researchers to develop a clearer picture of how health throughout the life course is affected by demographics, social and familial environments, behavior, biomarkers, anthropometric measures, and genetics.
Mercedes A. Bravo, PhD
Fang Fang, PhD
Dana B. Hancock, PhD
Eric O. Johnson, PhD
Kathleen Mullan Harris, PhD
Bravo, Mercedes A.; Fang, Fang; Hancock, Dana B.; Johnson, Eric O.; & Mullan Harris, Kathleen (2023). Long-term air pollution exposure and markers of cardiometabolic health in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) Study. Environment International.
Add Health is excited to attend the 2023 IAPHS Conference, “Gender, Sexuality, and Health Across the Life Course: Current Challenges and Opportunities for Population Health and Health Equity,” from Monday, October 2, 2023, to Thursday, October 5, 2023. Staff members will be at the Add Health booth in the Exhibit Hall daily to answer your questions. For more information, visit the IAPHS conference website.