The literature on reporting error provides insights into the quality of retrospective reports, particularly as it pertains to short-term recall. Less is understood about the generalizability of these findings to longer-term retrospective reports. We review studies analyzing the quality of...

In this paper, the authors review studies that have evaluated the quality of retrospective data collected in the 1976-77 and 1988 Malaysian Family Life Surveys. The evaluations considered the internal consistency of the data, expected relationships between variables, comparisons with external...

We use an ongoing longitudinal survey of elderly Taiwanese to examine the linkages among health, the social environment, and exposure to life challenge. Data from three waves of the survey provide measures of social hierarchy, social connection, life challenge, and health outcomes. On the basis...

In this paper, we explore the diffusion of beliefs pertaining to the causes of childhood diarrhea in rural Guatemala. The analysis focuses on the importance of interpersonal and impersonal contacts as conduits for information and norms related to hygiene and contamination. Estimates from...

The authors examine ethnic differences in objective and perceived economic well-being in rural Guatemala. The evidence shows that long-standing ethnic differentials in objective indicators of household economic well-being actually widened between 1988 and 1995, a period characterized by rapid...

The authors analyze the two-year prospective relationship between marital status and health - mortality, chronic conditions, functional status, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms - in midlife. The authors find no evidence that marriage is more strongly associated with health among men...

The traditional focus of disability research has been on the elderly, with good reason. Chronic disability is much more prevalent among the elderly, and it has a more direct impact on the demand for medical care. It is also important to understand trends in disability among the young, however,...