Who Participates? Accounting for Longitudinal Retention in the MIDUS National Study of Health and Well-Being
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This article uses data from MIDUS (Midlife in the United States), a national study of Americans (N = 7,108), to investigate factors that predict longitudinal retention. With its extensive age range (25-75 at Time 1) and long-term design (9- to 10-year survey interval), MIDUS is useful for investigating common sociodemographic and health predictors of continuing participation. METHOD: The authors conducted logistic regression analyses of baseline sociodemographic and health variables predicting retention. Select interaction terms examined the interplay between targeted variables. RESULTS: Consistent with prior research, higher retention rates were found among Whites, females, and married individuals as well as those with better health and more education. Interaction analyses further clarified that (a) health status better predicted retention among older compared to younger respondents and among women compared to men, (b) marital status better predicted retention among Whites compared to non-Whites and among women compared to men, and (c) economic status better predicted retention among those with poorer functional health status. DISCUSSION: The authors' analyses clarify that longitudinal retention varied depending on respondents' sociodemographic characteristics and their health status. The unique contribution of this article is that factors predicting nonparticipation can be offset by, or compensated for, other factors.
Source: Journal of Aging and Health
Authors: Barry T. Radler, Carol D. Ryff
Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Institute on Aging
OpenAlex ID: W2153316544