From 2002-2005, we collected data in Limpopo Province, at the Agincourt Demographic Surveillance Site, and in Khayelitsha, a township outside of Cape Town, through the auspices of Philani Nutrition and Development Project. Our work was funded by the National Institute on Aging under grant numbers R01 AG20275-01, P01 AG05842-14, and P30 AG024361. We used integrated health and economic surveys in South Africa, to investigate the links between health status and economic status. Our survey instruments collected data on a range of traditional and non-traditional measures of well-being including income and consumption, measures of health status (including mental health), morbidity, crime, social connectedness, intra-household relationships, and direct hedonic measures of well-being. In 2002, there was a cross-sectional study conducted in Agincourt. Random household selection was stratified by age-eligibility for the Old Age Pension and nationality. In 2004, there was a second cross-sectional study conducted in Agincourt. Random selection of households was stratified on the basis of both citizenship, (South African or Mozambican), and whether or not a death had occurred in the household. The study in Khayelitsha was longitudinal. Part 1 of the first wave was conducted in 2002; part 2 of the first wave was conducted in 2003. In 2004, the households who had been interviewed in 2002 were re-interviewed (if they were willing and if they could be found), for part 1 of the second wave. In 2005, the households who were interviewed in 2003 were re-interviewed (if they were willing and if they could be found), for part 2 of the second wave. For all of the studies, the methodology for conducting the surveys was the same. The questions varied some from year to year. The crosswalk (see table of contents) identifies these variations. In 2002, there were separate adult modules for younger and older adults. In subsequent years, there was simply one questionnaire for all adults. 3 In study years 2003, 2004, and 2005, detailed questions in the household questionnaire about the impact of the most recent death in the household were asked of the most knowledgeable household member.
