Harlem Longitudinal Study of Urban Black Youth, 1968-1994

This 26-year longitudinal study, begun in 1968, involved the collection of a broad array of data concerning physical, psychological, and social aspects of health among a representative community sample of urban African-American adolescents. More specifically, the study aimed to determine the extent and direction of change in health status among African-American adolescents and youth; to identify the health problems most subject to change; to examine the initiation process and prevalence of drug use among African-American adolescents; to assess the impact of possible mediating variables such as family background characteristics, role attainment, social influences and psychosocial attitudes on drug use; and to examine the ways in which drug use affects the expected sequence of health, growth, and development. The community representative sample consisted of 668 African-American male (351) and female (317) participants ranging from 12 to 18 years of age, and residing in Central Harlem, New York City. The sample was gathered based on an area probability sampling of housing units in the designated area. Data were collected in 1968-1970, 1975-1976, 1983-1984, 1989-1990, and 1993-1994. During the 1983-1984 follow-up data collection emphasized patterns of nonmedical drug use and the effects of those patterns on subsequent health. Data collection during the 1989-1990 follow-up shifted focus to HIV-related issues including knowledge of its existence, attitudes toward HIV-infected people, and risk behaviors. Blood specimens was included in the final two waves of data collection. Variables assessed included health (physical, psycho-physical, and emotional, self-attitudes, aspirations, expectations, and actual educational achievement); patterns of non-medical drug-use; and HIV-related issues. The Murray Research Archive has numeric file data for five waves of data collection. The contributor will not allow the sample to be followed up by researchers affiliated with the Murray Archive

Health through three life stages: A longitudinal study of urban black adolescents

This is a study of life stage coherence and change in perceived health status and morbidity reports over a 15 year interval bounding adolescence. Data were obtained through personal home interviews with a representative sample (N = 426) of urban black youths who were interviewed at three successive life stages: first when they were adolescents ages 12-17, 6-8 years later when they were ages 18-23, and 7-8 years after that when they were ages 26-31. Results showed that health decline was neither continuous nor progressive over the three life stages. Instead, a dramatic increase in morbidity reports occurring between adolescent and post adolescent measurement was succeeded by stabilization in the following 7 year interval. One interpretation of these findings is that they reflect the stressfulness of the adolescent life stage in the urban black youth cohort. The congruence of this interpretation with Mechanic and Angel's theory of differential health synchrony over the life course and also with Antonovsky's theory of sense of coherence in explaining variations in perceived health is discussed. The study, finally, pointed up a serious methodological impediment to attempting comparative life span health studies such as this, namely, the difficulty in arriving at equivalently comprehensive and sensitive health symptom indicators at different life stages.black youth adolescent health gender perceived health change utilization of health services