@article {8069, title = {Lee and Schwarz Respond to Kawada, Question Context, Ethnic Difference, and Self-Rated Health}, journal = {American Journal of Public Health}, volume = {104}, year = {2014}, pages = {e3-e4}, publisher = {104}, abstract = {We agree with Kawada that the ideal data set for our study would include a confounder-free experiment that asks the self-rated health (SRH) question in different contexts (or order) and follows study subjects over time to assess subsequent morbidity and mortality. This data set does not exist. As an approximation with minimal methodological non-comparability, we used the National Health Interview Survey linked with the National Death Index and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine SRH context effects on health outcome predictions.}, keywords = {Health Conditions and Status, Healthcare}, doi = {10.2105/AJPH.2013.301712}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301712}, author = {Lee, Sunghee and Schwarz, Norbert} } @article {8079, title = {Question context and priming meaning of health: effect on differences in self-rated health between Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites.}, journal = {Am J Public Health}, volume = {104}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jan}, pages = {179-85}, publisher = {104}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: We examined the implications of the current recommended data collection practice of placing self-rated health (SRH) before specific health-related questions (hence, without a health context) to remove potential context effects, between Hispanics and non-Hispanics.

METHODS: We used 2 methodologically comparable surveys conducted in English and Spanish that asked SRH in different contexts: before and after specific health questions. Focusing on the elderly, we compared the influence of question contexts on SRH between Hispanics and non-Hispanics and between Spanish and English speakers.

RESULTS: The question context influenced SRH reports of Spanish speakers (and Hispanics) significantly but not of English speakers (and non-Hispanics). Specifically, on SRH within a health context, Hispanics reported more positive health, decreasing the gap with non-Hispanic Whites by two thirds, and the measurement utility of SRH was improved through more consistent mortality prediction across ethnic and linguistic groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to the current recommendation, asking SRH within a health context enhanced measurement utility. Studies using SRH may result in erroneous conclusions when one does not consider its question context.

}, keywords = {Aged, Female, Health Status, Health Surveys, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mortality, Self Report, United States, White People}, issn = {1541-0048}, doi = {10.2105/AJPH.2012.301055}, author = {Lee, Sunghee and Schwarz, Norbert} } @inbook {5247, title = {Spending Patterns in the Older Population}, booktitle = {Aging Consumer: Perspectives from Psychology and Economics}, series = {Marketing and Consumer Psychology Series}, year = {2010}, pages = {25-49}, publisher = {Routledge}, organization = {Routledge}, chapter = {2}, address = {New York}, abstract = {This chapter deals with the concrete differences in consumption behavior across a person{\textquoteright}s life span. Although there is a prevasive belief that households reduce consumption at retirement, the interpretation that consumers adjust their spending after discovering they have fewer economic resources than they had anticipated prior to retirement is not wholly consistent with empirial evidence. The spending habits of older adults are determined by a variety of factors like age, marital status, and economic resources. Specifically, as the population ages, it will tend to spend less on transportation services, vacations, and food; and more on health care and charitable giving.}, keywords = {Consumption and Savings, Demographics, Health Conditions and Status, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction}, isbn = {978-1-84872-810-3}, author = {Michael D Hurd and Susann Rohwedder}, editor = {Drolet, A. and Schwarz, Norbert and Yoon, Carolyn} } @inbook {5165, title = {Cognitive Performance Measures in Survey Research on Older Adults}, booktitle = {Cognition, Aging, and Self Reports}, year = {1999}, note = {ProCite field 6 : In ProCite field 8 : eds.}, publisher = {Psychology Press}, organization = {Psychology Press}, chapter = {16}, address = {Philadelphia}, abstract = {Many researchers wonder whether cognitive ability decreases in the elderly and surveys of the elderly tend to include tests of cognitive ability that allow survey administrators to reject certain peoples responses or adjust the weight given to responses based on the respondents cognitive ability. The author s discuss cognitive tests used in the AHEAD Study, methodological issues of such tests, and the validity of cognitive measures in these tests. After a great deal of testing they conclude that the survey measures for cognition in the two studies are valid. They also present a number of methodological problems within cognitive tests and ways to resolve such problems.}, keywords = {Health Conditions and Status, Methodology}, doi = {10.4324/9780203345115}, author = {A. Regula Herzog and Willard L Rodgers}, editor = {Schwarz, Norbert and Denise C. Park and Barbel Knauper and Seymour Sudman} }