@article {6573, title = {Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old: An overview of the AHEAD Study}, journal = {The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences}, volume = {52B}, year = {1997}, pages = {1-20}, publisher = {52B}, abstract = {This article contains background information on the study of Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD), a prospective panel survey of persons born in 1923 or earlier who were residing in the community at the time of the 1993 baseline. Interviews were sought with both spouses in married households, and an overall total of 8,222 were completed. We review the interdisciplinary scientific issues that motivated the study, describe the fundamental design decisions that structured AHEAD, and summarize the content in the core and experimental modules. The study provides unusually detailed data on cognition, family structure and transfers, and assets. Data are presented on sample selections, response rates, and oversamples of minority groups. Basic descriptive data on the demographic, health, and socioeconomic attributes of respondents also are presented. Plans for future waves of AHEAD are described, including a next-of-kin interview for decreased respondents.}, keywords = {Adult children, Demographics, Health Conditions and Status, Healthcare, Income, Methodology, Net Worth and Assets}, author = {Beth J Soldo and Michael D Hurd and Willard L Rodgers and Robert B Wallace} }