James W. McNally

Cohabiting couples’ economic circumstances and union transitions: a re-examination using multiple imputation techniques ☆

Abstract This study examines how sample attrition and missing partner data influence studies of cohabitors’ union transitions. We rely on data from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH). Cohabitors with missing partner information or who were lost-to-follow-up have significantly fewer years of schooling and lower yearly earnings than cohabitors with complete data. Multiple imputation techniques are used to construct missing partner information and outcomes. Relying on prospective data from both waves of the NSFH that has not been corrected for selective data loss misrepresents cohabiting couple’s outcomes by: (1) overstating the extent to which cohabiting couples marry; (2) underestimating the amount of time spent in cohabiting unions; and (3) misrepresenting the effects of men’s economic characteristics on union transitions. Our results suggest that theories regarding how economic characteristics shape marriage transitions among singles may not be appropriate for those already living together.

Mortality Patterns of Native Hawaiians Across Their Lifespan: 1990–2000

OBJECTIVES We examined mortality patterns across the lifespan of Native Hawaiians and compared mortality disparities across races. METHODS We determined the age-specific and age-adjusted mortality rates of Native Hawaiians from 1990 to 2000 by using national census and vital registration data. RESULTS Among Native Hawaiians aged younger than 1 year, expected deaths were 15% lower than for Blacks and 50% higher than for Whites. Among older adults, Native Hawaiians had higher rates of mortality compared with the general population, particularly in 1990 and 1995. Crude death rates for Native Hawaiians were similar to those for Blacks in 1990 and 1995 but were 20% lower than those for Blacks by 2000. Crude death rates for Native Hawaiians were 30% higher than for Whites in 1990 and 1995 and more than 40% higher than for Whites in 2000. CONCLUSIONS Compared with Whites, Native Hawaiians and Blacks face similar challenges regarding infant and early-life mortality and increasing risks of mortality in mid-life and early old age. Our analyses document a need for renewed efforts to identify the determinants of ill health and commitment to address them.

Men Planning for Retirement Changing Meanings of Preretirement Planning

Using data from 69 in-depth interviews, the authors examine how men define financial planning and preretirement planning. The analyses show that younger men are less likely than older men to actively plan for retirement, and a clearer distinction is made between financial planning and preretirement planning. The results also show that the meanings of the two phrases overlap as one ages and that financial habits change over the life course. Understanding the changes over the life course would ensure that successful programs aim at securing financial security at older ages.

Poverty Among Elderly Asian Americans in the Twenty-First Century

ABSTRACT This article examines the risks of poverty among elderly Asians living in the United States. Using data from the 2000 US Census, the analysis examines differences in poverty status by marital status, household structure and nativity. The article, addressing the “model minority” thesis among Asian Americans, shows how it fails to control for heterogeneity within this population. The analysis finds that Asian elders benefit from co-residence, and while we cannot test for the presence of filial piety among the Asian population this finding is consistent with other studies that show extended family living represents a response to poverty rather than preference. Marked differences are seen among Asian elders in poverty when controlled by specific ethnicity among US nationals or by national origin among migrants to the United States further supporting the high level of heterogeneity within Asian populations.

Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to Evidence-Based Research: Lessons From the Pacific Islander American Health Study

Objectives: Reports on the challenges and lessons learned from the Pacific Island American Health Study engagement with community-based organizations (CBOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs) in Pacific Islander (PI) communities and mechanisms to facilitate the collection of robust data. Methods: Academic–community partnership building was achieved with PI CBOs and FBOs. Focus group meetings were organized to plan various aspects of the study, develop questionnaire themes and protocols for survey, assist with the interviewer recruitment process, and strategize data dissemination plan. Lessons Learned: The PIA-HS represents a model for overcoming challenges in data collection among small understudied populations. FBOs represent a valuable resource for community-based participatory research (CBPR) data collection and for effective interventions. Conclusion: The study methodology can be replicated for other racial/ethnic groups with high levels of religiosity combined with concentrated levels of residential clustering. Expansion of the Pacific Islander American Health Study (PIA-HS) to include other PI subgroups is encouraged.

Using ICPSR Resources to Teach Sociology

The focus on quantitative literacy has been increasingly outside the realm of mathematics. The social sciences are well suited to including quantitative elements throughout the curriculum but doing so can mean challenges in preparation and presentation of material for instructors and increased anxiety for students. This paper describes tools and resources available through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) that will aid students and instructors engaging in quantitative literacy across the curriculum. The Online Learning Center is a source of empirical activities aimed at undergraduates in lower-division substantive courses and Exploring Data through Research Literature presents an alternative to traditional research methods assignments. Searching and browsing tools, archive structures, and extended online-analysis tools make it easier for students in upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses to engage in exercises that increase quantitative literacy, and paper competitions reward them for doing so.

Health, Widowhood, and Family Support in the North and South Pacific: A Comparative Study

SUMMARY This paper compares the impacts of health and widowhood on the level of support received by elderly women living in small island communities within the Philippines and Fiji. Using a theoretical perspective of ongoing reciprocal exchange as opposed to altruistic support within household economies, this paper reviews the impacts of disability and economic contributions on the level of support an elderly female receives. It is hypothesized that as the health of the widow declines her access to care will also diminish due to an inability to contribute to the household economies of the extended family. This paper extends existing work on health and family support of widowed females in the developing world by performing a cross-national comparative analysis as well as by explicitly testing the assumptions of altruism that are a central assumption of most models of long-term care in underdeveloped nations.

A multiple imputation approach to disclosure limitation for high-age individuals in longitudinal studies

Disclosure limitation is an important consideration in the release of public use data sets. It is particularly challenging for longitudinal data sets, since information about an individual accumulates with repeated measures over time. Research on disclosure limitation methods for longitudinal data has been very limited. We consider here problems created by high ages in cohort studies. Because of the risk of disclosure, ages of very old respondents can often not be released; in particular, this is a specific stipulation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the release of health data for individuals. Top-coding of individuals beyond a certain age is a standard way of dealing with this issue, and it may be adequate for cross-sectional data, when a modest number of cases are affected. However, this approach leads to serious loss of information in longitudinal studies when individuals have been followed for many years. We propose and evaluate an alternative to top-coding for this situation based on multiple imputation (MI). This MI method is applied to a survival analysis of simulated data, and data from the Charleston Heart Study (CHS), and is shown to work well in preserving the relationship between hazard and covariates.

Impacts of Long-Term Obesity on the Health Status of Samoan and Tongan Men in the United States: Results from the Pacific Islander Health Study.

OBJECTIVE To examine the impacts of long-standing obesity (BMIs ≥ 30.0 kg/m(2)) on health outcomes among Samoan and Tongan men (aged ≥ 18 years) in California using a life course perspective. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of 103 males from the Pacific Islander Health Study (PIHS), a probability sample modeled after the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). SETTING Urban residential neighborhoods in San Mateo and Los Angeles counties using a multistage, cluster sample design. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES BMI, diabetes, hypertension, total cholesterol, smoking, drinking, arthritis, gout and migraines. RESULTS Bivariate analysis shows high rates of poor health outcomes distributed throughout the obese and non-obese sample. Logistic analysis finds that being obese does not significantly increase observed negative health outcomes. After controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, the presence of obesity results in non-significant findings for hypertension (OR=1.02; CI: .21, 4.91), and high cholesterol (OR=.52; CI: .10, 2.73), while obesity significantly reduces the risk of diabetes by 60% (OR=.40; CI: .14, 1.17). When applying disease counts, obese men have a significantly lower risk of reporting multiple health conditions (OR=.72; CI: .52, 1.00). CONCLUSION Overall, the health of Samoan and Tongan males in California is uniformly poor and obesity alone does not significantly increase risks of poor health outcomes. Using a life course perspective, the analysis offers new insights on the basic health of this understudied population.

Secondary Data Resources to Examine Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Cognitive Change across the Lifecourse: The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA)

• Cognition and Aging in the USA (CogUSA), 2007–2009 • Discourse Processing in Healthy Aging in the United States • Longitudinal Study of Generations, 1971, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2005 [California] • The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA), 2009–2011 • Swedish Adoption/Twin Study on Aging (SATSA), 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 2004, 2007, and 2010 Cognition Popular NACDA Studies by Topic Utilize Our Expertise