User:LASI project/sandbox

The Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) collects data on the physical, financial, and social well-being of India’s elderly population. LASI is conceptually comparable to the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the United States and HRS surveys in Asia – including the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) – thereby allowing for cross-country comparison. LASI also takes account of features unique to India, including its institutional and cultural characteristics.

In 2010 LASI completed its pilot phase, collecting data from 1683 individuals across four states in India. Results from the pilot have been used to inform the first nationally representative wave, scheduled to begin in early 2013.

The Principal Investigators of LASI are David E. Bloom (Harvard School of Public Health); Perianayagam Arokiasamy (International Institute for Population Sciences); and Jinkook Lee (Rand Corporation). The project has been largely supported by the National Institute of Aging (NIA).

Context and case for LASI
With a population of over 1.2 billion, India is the second most populous country in the world. Currently, the 65+ population accounts for 5.5% of India’s national population, translating into roughly 56 million people. By 2050, these numbers are projected to climb to nearly 14% or approximately 240 million people. This increase reflects an upward trend in life expectancy: the life expectancy of an Indian born in 1950 was 37 years; today it stands at 69 years, and by 2050 it is projected to increase to 76 years.

Data are lacking on the health, social support, and economic security of India’s growing elderly population. By assembling a research team of demographers, economists, medical doctors, sociologists, and public health and policy experts, LASI aims to collect the data required to inventory and scope India’s population aging challenges. These data should help to inform policies and innovations that can protect and support the growing elderly community in India. The data could also be used to support cross-country comparisons and learning.

Survey questionnaire
The LASI survey questionnaire includes several subsections, such as :


 * Coverscreen
 * Biomarkers
 * Demographics
 * Household income
 * Housing and environment
 * Consumption
 * Household agricultural income and asset
 * Non-agricultural assets and debts
 * Family and social network
 * Health
 * Health care utilization
 * Work and employment
 * Pension
 * Vignettes
 * Social connectedness
 * Expectations

CAPI (Computer-Assisted Personal Interview) data collection modality
LASI uses computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) techniques to record the responses of survey participants. Field teams are outfitted with laptop computers pre-loaded with the LASI questionnaire, and researchers ask study participants the computer-generated questions via face-to-face interview. Responses are input directly into the laptop computers, reducing the data entry process and minimizing opportunities for data entry errors.

Dried blood spots (DBS)
In addition to survey questions, LASI also collects dried blood spots (DBS) from consenting participants. The LASI team proposes to analyze the DBS for the presence of key molecular biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hemoglobin (Hb), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). DBS samples are stored and analyzed at the National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) in Pune, India. Dr. Arun Risbud, Deputy Director of NARI, oversees all aspects of LASI DBS storage and assays.

LASI pilot study
The LASI pilot survey was implemented during the period October – December 2010 in four Indian states: Karnataka and Kerala in the south, and Punjab and Rajasthan in the north. Researchers selected these states to capture regional variation in health transitions, socio-economic status, and state of development. Karnataka and Rajasthan were also selected by the Study of Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE), thereby allowing for comparison of the data across these states. The pilot study was supported by an R21 grant from the NIA.

Pilot data were collected from 1683 individuals from 950 households. Of these, 1486 respondents were in the LASI target age range (i.e., >45 years of age); the 197 who were not age-eligible were the spouses of age-qualifying participants. For an overview of the pilot exercise and data, see http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/pgda/WorkingPapers/2011/PGDA_WP_82.pdf. Raw datasets from the LASI pilot were released in early 2012 and are available for analysis.

Long-term aims
The results of the pilot study will inform the design of a full-scale, nationally representative LASI survey, with a sample of roughly 18,000 to be followed longitudinally (with refresher populations added as well). Data collection for the first full wave is tentatively scheduled to begin in early 2012.

Data from the full wave will provide a foundation for scientific research and policy-making related to aging in India. Through comparative studies, LASI will contribute to scientific insights and policy development in other countries due to its harmonized design with parallel international studies. LASI will ultimately be part of a worldwide effort aimed at understanding how different institutions, cultures, and policies can influence – and prepare for – population aging.

LASI team and collaborating institutions
The LASI research team is comprised of researchers from Harvard University, the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) in Mumbai, and the RAND Corporation, USA.

Key contributing researchers from Harvard:

 * David E. Bloom, Harvard Principal Investigator, LASI; Clarence James Gamble Professor of Economics and Demography, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).


 * Lisa Berkman, Director, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS); Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and Epidemiology, HSPH.
 * David Canning, Professor of Economics and International Health, HSPH; Deputy Director, Program on the Global Demography of Aging, HCPDS.
 * Amitabh Chandra, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School.
 * Nicholas Christakis, Professor of Medical Sociology, Harvard Medical School; Professor of Sociology, Harvard University (Faculty of Arts and Sciences).
 * Ajay Mahal, Finkel Chair of Global Health, Monash University (formerly Associate Professor at HSPH).
 * S. V. Subramanian, Professor, Population Health and Geography, HSPH.

Key contributing researchers from IIPS:

 * Perianayagam Arokiasamy, IIPS Principal Investigator, LASI; Professor of Development Studies, IIPS.


 * T. V. Sekher, Associate Professor of Population Policies and Programmes, IIPS.
 * S. K. Mohanty, Associate Professor of Fertility Studies, IIPS.

Key contributing researchers from RAND:

 * Jinkook Lee, RAND Principal Investigator, LASI; Senior Economist, RAND Corporation.


 * Bas Weerman, Senior Information Systems Analyst, RAND Corporation.
 * Adeline Delavande, Economist, RAND Corporation.
 * Joanne K. Yoong, Associate Economist, RAND Corporation.
 * Peifeng (Perry) Hu, Adjunct Scientist, RAND; Associate Professor, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

In addition to the contributing faculty from Harvard, IIPS, and RAND, LASI has also enlisted the support and experience of academics and professionals from around the world. Together, these individuals make up LASI’s national and international advisory committees.

Members of LASI’s National Advisory Committee (NAC):

 * P.M. Kulkarni, Chair, LASI NAC; Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.


 * Faujdar Ram, Director, IIPS.
 * Additional Director General (statistics), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India (GoI).
 * Chief Director (statistics), MoHFW, GoI.
 * Director General of Health Services (DGHS) or representative. MoHFW, GoI.
 * Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), or representative, MoHFW, GoI.
 * Suman Bery, Director-General, India’s National Council for Applied Economic Research.
 * Shalini Bharat, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
 * Arvind Mathur, Professor, Dr. Sampurnanand Medical College.
 * Nandan Nilekani, Founder and Co-chairman, Infosys Technologies, Ltd.
 * Irudaya Rajan, Professor, Center for Development Studies.
 * Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India.
 * Gita Sen, Sir Ratan Tata Chair Professor, Indian Institute of Management; Adjunct Professor, HSPH.

Members of LASI’s International Advisory Committee (IAC):

 * James Banks, Professor of Economics, University College London; Deputy Research Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies; Co-Principal Investigator, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).


 * Axel Börsch-Supan, Professor of Economics, Universitat Mannheim; Principal Investigator, Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).
 * Somnath Chatterji, Principal Investigator, Study of Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE).
 * Arie Kapteyn, Director of Labor & Population, RAND Corporation; Chair, SHARE Monitoring Committee.
 * Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College, London; Director, International Institute for Society and Health, University College London; Co-Principal Investigator, ELSA.
 * James P. Smith, Chair, LASI IAC; Senior Economist and Chair, Labor Markets and Demographic Studies, RAND Corporation; Chair, NIA Data Monitoring Committee.
 * David Wise, John F. Stambaugh Professor of Political Economy, Harvard Kennedy School; Director, Economics of Aging, National Bureau of Economic Research.
 * David Weir, Professor, University of Michigan; Director, HRS.
 * Yaohui Zhao, Professor of Economics, Beijing University; Principal Investigator, CHARLS.