At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
- Longitudinal survey spanning as much as 43 years of participants’ lives.
- Geocode at the Census tract and block group level.
- Can be linked to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement (PSID/CDS) and Transition into Adulthood Study for more in-depth information on children, young adults, and their families.
Website
http://psidonline.isr.umich.edu/
Purpose
To collect longitudinal data about health, housing and food expenditures, family composition changes, marriage and fertility histories, employment histories, income/wealth, public assistance (including food stamps), and time spent on housework for individuals and their families in the United States (U.S.).
Target Population
Noninstitutionalized, civilian adults in the U.S. and the family units in which they live.
Conducted
Began in 1968. Conducted annually through 1997 (biennially since 1997). Most recent year conducted is 2017.
Sponsor
The study is funded by the National Science Foundation; the National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services); the Economic Research Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture); the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the U.S. Department of Labor; and the Center on Philanthropy at the Indiana University-Purdue University.
Special Note(s)
See also the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement (PSID/CDS).
Over the life of the project, funding for the Panel Study of Income Dynamics has been provided by a number of government agencies, foundations, and other organizations. The PSID's original funding agency was the Office of Economic Opportunity of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The study's major funding source is now the National Science Foundation.
Substantial additional funding has been provided by the National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Center on Philanthropy at the Indiana University-Purdue University.
Sampling
Sample Design
Longitudinal/panel survey.
Stratified, multistage, probability sampling was used to generate a representative sample of U.S. individuals and the families in which they live. Low-income families were oversampled. Data were collected for a sample of 511 immigrant families from 1997 to 1999 and a Latino Supplement was added in 1990, resulting in adequate sampling of Latinos as well as Blacks and Whites after that year. Learn more.
Sample Size
Approximately 9,000 families and 75,000 individuals in 2013.
Special Note(s)
The number of families and individuals included in the survey has grown over time, as individuals from families in the core sample have been followed, and as children of Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) parents included into the sample form families of their own.
Key Variables
Diet-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Food program participation, including food stamps (now called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP]), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and child care and school-based food programs for children | Self report |
| Food security | Self report |
| Frequency of family eating together | Interview/questionnaire |
| Family frequency of eating out | Interview/questionnaire |
| Household food expenditures | Interview/questionnaire |
| Disability (cognitive; emotional; hearing; movement/physical; vision) | Interview/questionnaire |
Physical Activity-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Frequency of light and vigorous physical activity | Self report (for heads of household only) |
| Frequency weight-bearing exercise | Self report |
Sleep-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Daytime fatigue/sleepiness and/or alertness | Interview/Questionnaire with Child |
| Physical sleep environment: Screen use and proximity | Interview/Questionnaire with Caregiver |
| Schedule-related sleep environment: Caregiver work schedule | Interview/Questionnaire with Caregiver |
| Sleep continuity: Sleep latency | Interview/Questionnaire with Caregiver |
| Sleep continuity: Other | Interview/Questionnaire with Caregiver |
| Sleep disturbances and quality: Subjective satisfaction | Interview/Questionnaire with Caregiver |
| Sleep disturbances and quality: Trouble falling back asleep at night | Interview/Questionnaire with Caregiver |
| Sleep disturbances and quality: Other | Interview/Questionnaire with Child |
| Sleep duration and quantity: Other | Interview/Questionnaire with Child |
| Sleep timing and regularity: Time to bed | Interview/Questionnaire |
| Sleep-related substance use: Medication use (e.g. ADHD, ADD) | Interview/Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Family sleep behaviors (e.g., bedtime routines, bedtime rules, sleep hygiene, sleep schedule) | Interview/Questionnaire with Caregiver |
| Social sleep environment: Other | Interview/Questionnaire |
Weight-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Height and weight (starting in 1999) | Self report (for heads of household only) |
Geocode/Linkage
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Census tract, census block, zip code, county, and state | N/A |
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
Obtain data at the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)-CDS Data Center website. Follow the instructions for requesting customized data files and documentation.
Cost
Free of charge.
Special Note(s)
Restricted data (geocodes, data on mortality and housing assistance, Hurricane Katrina module) are provided only to individuals who meet requirements and enter into a contract with the University of Michigan. Contracts must be renewed every 180 days for a total contractual period of 3 years.
To initiate the contract process, the following materials must be submitted for review: a research statement; a data protection plan; Institutional Review Board approval from one’s home institution; and an administrative processing fee of $750. Upon approval of these materials, a contract will be sent to the requestor’s institution. Contact psidhelp@umich.edu for more information.
The most recent year for which data are available is not necessarily the most recent year this survey was conducted.
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
Geocode available by special agreement (see Special Notes under Data Access and Cost): census tract, census block, zip code, county, and state.
Existing Linkages
Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data can be linked to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement (PSID/CDS), Transition to Adulthood Study data, and census data.
Special Note(s)
PSID data have been linked to Medicare and National Death Index files using personal identifiers that are not available to researchers.
Selected Publications
Click here for a full list of publications.
Weight-Related
Davis MM, McGonagle KA, Schoeni RF, Stafford FP. Grandparental and parental obesity influences on childhood overweight: Implications for primary care practice. Journal of American Board of Family Medicine 2008;21(6):549-554.
Forshee RA, Anderson PA, Storey ML. Associations of various family characteristics and time use with children's body mass index. Journal of Community Health Nursing 2009;26(2):77-86.
Garasky S, Stewart SD, Gundersen C, Lohnman BJ, Eisenmann JC. Family stressors and child obesity. Social Science Research 2009;38(4):755-766.
Jiang M, Foster EM. Duration of breastfeeding and childhood obesity: a generalized propensity score approach. Health Serv Res. 2013 Apr;48(2 Pt 1):628-51.
Metzger MW, McDade TW. Breastfeeding as obesity prevention in the United States: A sibling difference model. American Journal of Human Biology 2009;22(3):291-296.
Zimmerman FJ, Bell JF. Associations of television content type and obesity in children. American Journal of Public Health 2010;100(2):334-340.
Ziol-Guest KM, Duncan GJ, Kalil A. Early childhood poverty and adult body mass index. American Journal of Public Health 2009;99(3):527-521.
Methods
Burkhauser RV, Cawley J. Adding biomeasures relating to fatness and obesity to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Biodemography and Social Biology 2009;55(2):118-139.
