ASSET AND HEALTH DYNAMICS AMONG THE OLDEST-OLD - AN OVERVIEW OF THE AHEAD STUDY

This chapter provides background information for the study of Asset an d Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD), a prospective panel su rvey of persons born in 1923 or earlier who were residing in the commu nity at the time of the 1993 baseline. Interviews, were sought with bo th spouses in married households, and an overall total of 8,222 were c ompleted: We review the interdisciplinary scientific issues that motiv ated the study, describe the fundamental design decisions that structu red AHEAD, and summarize the content ill the core and experimental mod ules. The study provides unusually detailed data on cognition, family structure and transfers, and assets. Data are presented on sample sele ctions, response rates, and oversamples of minority groups. Basic desc riptive data on the demographic, health, and socioeconomic attributes of respondents also are presented Finns for future waves of AHEAD are described, including a next-of-kin interview for deceased respondents.