Novel place-based socio-contextual measures in Add Health for aging researchers: characteristics and methodological considerations.

OBJECTIVES

We introduce comprehensive, multilevel, time-varying contextual indicators linked to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), describe Black-White differences in their distributions and trends across the early life course, and provide methodological considerations for using these new data.

METHODS

Contextual indicators spanning housing and credit market, political, criminal-legal, cultural climate, and historical domains at various geographic levels were compiled from external data sources and merged to Add Health respondents' state, county, census tract, and block group locations across Waves I-V (1994-2018), capturing exposures from adolescence (ages 12-20) through early midlife (ages 33-42). Descriptive statistics for each indicator-overall and by race (Black and White)-are presented alongside temporal trends.

RESULTS

Substantial and persistent Black-White disparities were observed across domains and waves. Relative to White respondents, Black respondents were more likely to reside in counties characterized by higher eviction rates, greater racialized economic segregation, elevated housing cost burden, higher incarceration rates, and more hate crime incidents. Black respondents also lived in states with greater historical lynching violence. Methodological considerations presented include data source-level characteristics (e.g., data collection procedures and coverage) and measure-specific considerations.

DISCUSSION: By linking comprehensive place-based socio-contextual measures to Add Health's rich biological, demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial data spanning critical developmental periods, and a new battery of cognitive, physical, and sensory function in midlife, researchers can identify life course pathways of aging inequalities and inform interventions to reduce trends and disparities in healthy aging in American society.