2 ms·

I've been in a NORC longitudinal study since ~1980. It's pretty low maintenance, and they lost track of me for a decade or so (part of 20s and 30s) due to how

by gumby 3y ago

I've been in a NORC longitudinal study since ~1980. It's pretty low maintenance, and they lost track of me for a decade or so (part of 20s and 30s) due to how life goes. First it was just surveys (actually interviews) but just before covid they sent a nurse to draw some blood (they ask for permission before every query, so I was OK with that). Earlier on they would tell me a little of some learnings from the data, but now it simply goes into some database in Chicago and I guess various people who could use it for some study query it. Not enough for a book in my case; barely enough for an HN comment!

Mistletoe 3y ago
What are they studying?
- _a_a_a_ 3y ago
  Young HN posters by the sound of it.
  - gumby 3y ago
    any longitudinal study by definition has to start relatively early.
- gumby 3y ago
  The first questionnaire was given to us in school and they asked about our classes, whether we planned to go to university, things like that. It was long but the school just gave it to us like it was a test (except you had to fill in little bubbles on a form which none of us had ever done before). There were a couple after HS graduation asking about if I was in university or working, married, income, job, stuff like that. Then I had a gap (was out of the country) and after they asked things like marital status, kids, work, health life satisfaction, etc. Mostly pretty much the same, of course, because how else do you track changes over time. But it's not worth asking 16 yo about marital status -- 99.99% of the answers will be the same. And in the 80s you didn't ask about sexual orientation. The somewhat recent blood test was the first time I'd been asked that. I presume that will continue through end of life. (Coincidentally an old classmate died last week...basically so far I've only known about a half dozen, definitely less than 10, people my age who have died. But I expect that curve to start bending upwards).

by gumby 3y ago

Mistletoe 3y ago

What are they studying?

_a_a_a_ 3y ago
Young HN posters by the sound of it.
- gumby 3y ago
  any longitudinal study by definition has to start relatively early.
gumby 3y ago
The first questionnaire was given to us in school and they asked about our classes, whether we planned to go to university, things like that. It was long but the school just gave it to us like it was a test (except you had to fill in little bubbles on a form which none of us had ever done before). There were a couple after HS graduation asking about if I was in university or working, married, income, job, stuff like that. Then I had a gap (was out of the country) and after they asked things like marital status, kids, work, health life satisfaction, etc. Mostly pretty much the same, of course, because how else do you track changes over time. But it's not worth asking 16 yo about marital status -- 99.99% of the answers will be the same. And in the 80s you didn't ask about sexual orientation. The somewhat recent blood test was the first time I'd been asked that. I presume that will continue through end of life. (Coincidentally an old classmate died last week...basically so far I've only known about a half dozen, definitely less than 10, people my age who have died. But I expect that curve to start bending upwards).