University of Wisconsin–Madison

Eric Grodsky and Co-Authors Publish HSB Cohort Profile

CDHA affiliate Eric Grodsky and co-authors Jennifer Manly, Chandra Muller, and John Robert Warren published a cohort profile of High School and Beyond (HSB) participants in the International Journal of Epidemiology. HSB began in 1980 to study how educational opportunities and experiences shape early adult outcomes, and includes a nationally representative probability sample of 30, 030 sophomores and 2,8 240 seniors from 1,020 randomly selected US public and private high schools.

Data on students’ educational experiences, cognitive skills, non-cognitive skills, peers, educational and occupational plans and aspirations, health and socioeconomic background were obtained via student, parent, school administrator and teacher questionnaires.

From the initial sample of 58, 270 students, a random subsample of 14, 830 sophomores and 12 ,000 seniors were selected to participate in a longitudinal panel.

A follow-up of the 25, 370 surviving panelists was fielded in 2021. Questionnaires gathered information about: cognitive functioning and impairment; memory complaints; health conditions; work; family; finances; COVID-19 incidence and vaccination; and wellbeing. Sample members complete several cognitive tasks commonly employed in studies of ageing. Home health visits take anthropomorphic measures and collect saliva samples (for genomic analysis of the microbiome) and whole-blood samples (for human genomic analysis and for assaying markers of neurodegeneration).