Abstract
Family-level data collected in longitudinal, as opposed to cross-sectional, surveys present special analytical problems due to the dynamic nature of family units over time. Family structure can change as a result of birth/adoption, death, marriage, divorce, migration, and transient situations such as attending college away from home. Different strategies for defining changing families for analytical purposes have been proposed, including cross-sectional, longitudinal, and dynamic approaches.
In this paper, the authors will describe the extent and type of change in family structure and composition in the Household Survey component of the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) over the course of the four data collection rounds in the survey year and the way these changes are incorporated into analytical plans. Several strategies for defining families which can change across time will be employed and evaluated. A few annualized outcome measures of interest at the family level will be explored using these various definitions.
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