RC. Life History

In 2007 ELSA carried out the Life History interview with some ELSA respondents. The interview covered a number of different areas of a respondent's life prior to being interviewed for ELSA, including relationships and fertility; housing and mobility; jobs and earnings; and health.

Label	Type	Description
IDAUNIQ		unique individual serial number
SCREC		whether received self completion
RETROWGT		weight for life-history interview
VERSION		interview version
AGE		age of respondent (collapsed for those aged 91 or over)
INTMTH		month of interview
INTYEAR		year of interview
YRBIRTH		year of birth
SEX		sex of respondent
FFFTEAG		age finished education
FFCHVAR		number of children at last wave
FFCHAG		age of feedforward child
FFCHSX		sex of feedforward child
FFRELT		relationship to feedforward child
DOBCHK		whether feed forward dob recorded correctly
RCCHC		whether child's details correct
RCALV		whether child is still alive
RCSXC		whether child's sex correct
RCSXN		child's sex
RCDBC		whether child's date of birth correct
RCRLC		whether confirms relationship to child
RCREL		relationship to child
RCADY		year child adopted
RCLVF		whether present for most of child's childhood
RCDYY		year of child's death
RCBTH		whether given birth to (other) child born alive
RCBNO		number of (other) children given birth to who were born alive
RCFAT		whether fathered (other) child born alive
RCFNO		number of (other) children fathered who were born alive
RCYRS		year other natural child born
RCSEX		sex of other child
RCALI		whether other child still alive
RCNDY		other natural child's year of death
RCLIV		whether present for most of other child's childhood
RCADP		whether adopted any other children
RCANO		number of other adopted children
RCADT		year adopted other child
RCASX		sex of other adopted child
RCAYR		year other adopted child born
RCAAL		whether other adopted child still alive
RCADD		other adopted child's year of death
RCALV2		whether present for most of other adopted child's childhood
RCFOST		whether ever fostered a child
RCFOYR		how many years fostered children for
RCABT		whether had a child not born alive
RCDNO		number of miscarriages, stillbirths or abortions
RCMDT		year of miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion
RCTIM		number of months pregnancy lasted
RCEND		how pregnancy ended
RCALO		whether anyone else in the room during children module
RPINB		whether ever lived with someone as a couple or ever been married
RPLIV		year started living with partner
RPMAR		whether married when first cohabited
RPCHK		whether got married and cohabited in same year
RPLTR		if married cohabiting partner at later date
RPMYR		year married partner
RPREL		type of marriage ceremony
RPSTL		whether still lives with partner
RPFIN		reason relationship ended
RPFIN1C		whether answer to rpfin1 was recoded post-interview from text answer
RPDIY		year partner died
RPEYR		year cohabitation ended
RPDIV		whether divorced from partner
RPDYR		year divorced from partner
RPMOR		whether lived with or been married to another partner
RPNCA		whether been in long-term non-cohabiting relationship
RPNCB		year non-cohabiting relationship began
RPNCE		whether still in relationship with non-cohabiting partner
RPNCF		year non-cohabiting relationship ended
RPNCH		whether been in another long-term non-cohabiting relationship
RALIS		other residences
RAAUK		whether resided outside of the uk for 6 months or more
RABOR		whether lived in first residence for more than 6 months
RASTT		whether moved straight into next residence
RASTB		year started living in accommodation if gap
RAESS		estimated year started living in accommodation
RAGAP		reason for gap in residences
RAGPO		other reason for gap in residencies
RABUK		whether this accommodation lived in was in uk
RAOWN		tenure
RAPRI		type of non-private residence
RAPRIC		whether answer to rapri was recoded post-interview from text answer
RASTP		year stopped living in accommodation
RAEST		estimated year stopped living in accommodation
RAROO		number of bedrooms of residence lived in when aged 10
RAPEO		number of people lived in residence when aged 10
RAREL		relationships of people lived with when aged 10
RAFAC		accommodation facilities
RABKS		number of books in home when aged 10
RADIV		whether when aged <16 parents ever permanently separated or divorced
RADIY		year parents separated
RAMOT		whether when aged <16 ever separated from mother for 6 months or more
RAMOA		year first separated from mother for 6 months or more when aged <16
RAMOY		reason why separated from mother
RAMOYC		whether answer to ramoy was recoded post-interview from text answer
RAPAR		year stopped living with parents
RWFTC		whether confirms feedforward details on when finished full time education
RWFTN		whether confirms feedforward details indicating never in full-time education
RWFTE		exact age finished education
RWNED		situation at age 14 - if never had full time education
RWEVW		whether ever done any paid work which lasted for a period of 6 months or more
RWJSA		time period between leaving full-time education and starting first job
RWSTF		situation between ft education and 1st job
RWNWA		whether non-working situation has changed since left school
RWNWB		year that non-working situation changed
RWNWC		non-working situation changed to
RWJSY		year started job
RWSE		employee or self employed
RWFT		full or part time
RWFTP		when switched from full-time to part-time
RWPTF		when switched from part-time to full-time
RWS		starting income - period payment covered
RWSM		starting income - old or new money
RWSAN		starting income - amount in new money
RWSAP		starting income - amount in old money: pounds
RWSAS		starting income - amount in old money: shillings
RWSAD		starting income - amount in old money: pence
RWSGN		starting income - amount reported before or after tax
RWEDY		year job ended
RWNX		time period until started next job
RWST		situation before started next job
RWSFF		situation after left last job
RWANO		if any more jobs to enter
RWLJO		which job was last job of main career
RWSF		final income - period payment covered
RWSFM		final income - old or new money
RWSFN		final income - amount in new money
RWSFP		final income - amount in old money: pounds
RWSFS		final income - amount in old money: shillings
RWSFD		final income - amount in old money: pence
RWSFG		final income - amount reported before or after tax
RWILL		whether ever left job due to ill health or disability
RWILX		which jobs left due to ill health or disability
RWBUS		whether ever left job due to company closing down
RWBUX		which jobs left due to company closing down
RHINJ		whether ever had physical injury which had permanent effect on daily life
RHINA		year received injury which had permanent effect on daily life
RHCIA		self-reported health during childhood
RHCIB		if missed school for over a month due to health as a child
RHCIC		if physical activites restricted for over three months by health as a child
RHCID		if confined to bed for over a month due to health as a child
RHCIE		if in hospital for more than a month due to health as a child
RHCIF		if had more than 3 inpatient stays in one year as a child
RHCIG		condition that caused health problems as a child
RHCCYA		year first experienced an infectious disease
RHCCYB		year first experienced a broken bone or fracture
RHCCYC		year first experienced asthma
RHCCLC		whether asthma lasted more than a year
RHCCYD		year first experienced allergies other than asthma
RHCCLD		whether allergies lasted more than a year
RHCCYE		year first experienced respiratory problems other than asthma
RHCCLE		whether respiratory problems lasted more than a year
RHCCYF		year first experienced chronic ear problems
RHCCLF		whether chronic ear problems lasted more than a year
RHCCYG		year first experienced severe headaches or migraines
RHCCLG		whether severe headaches or migraines lasted more than a year
RHCCYH		year first experienced epilepsy, fits or seizures
RHCCLH		whether epilepsy, fits or seizures lasted more than a year
RHCCYJ		year first experienced emotional/nervous/psychiatric problems
RHCCLJ		whether emotional/nervous/psychiatric problems lasted more than a year
RHCCYK		year first experienced appendicitis
RHCCYL		year first experienced childhood diabetes or high blood sugar
RHCCYM		year first experienced heart trouble
RHCCYN		year first experienced leukaemia or lymphoma
RHCCYP		year first experienced cancer or had a malignant tumour
RHCCYQ		year first experienced other serious health condition
RHPBB		number of periods of ill health age 16+
RHPBC		reasons for ill health age 16+
RHPBX		reasons for ill health age 16+ (continued)
RHPBD		ages when had periods of ill health or disability
RHPBE		long-term effects of injury, ill health/disability
RHSMK		whether ever smoked cigarettes
RHSMF		year first smoked daily
RHSMA		age band when first smoked daily
RHSKA		whether smoke cigarettes nowadays
RHSML		year last smoked a cigarette
RHSMB		age band when last smoked
RHSMS		if ever stopped smoking for 6 months or more
RHSMX		number of times stopped smoking
RHSMY		number of years smoked on most days
RHSMT		type of smoker
RHMEN		age at first menstrual period
RHMEB		ageband at first menstrual period
RHHYE		if had hysterectomy
RHHYY		year of hysterectomy
RHOVE		if had operation to remove both ovaries
RHOVY		year had operation to remove both ovaries
RHPEY		year of last period
RHPEE		if had period in last 12 months
RHPER		reason why not had period in last 12 months
RHPERC		whether answer to rhper was recoded post-interview from text answer
RHHRT		whether ever taken hrt
RHHFY		year first started hrt
RHHPS		whether periods had stopped when first started hrt
RHHPY		gap between last period and start of hrt
RHHNO		whether currently taking hrt
RHHST		year last took hrt
ROIMP		whether anything else happened in life that wants to mention
ACCUR		interviewer: how accurate do you think the answers given by the respondent were?
ALONE		whether anyone helped answer questions
RCRELCH		(derived) relationship to child
RCCHSEX		(derived) child's sex
RCCHDYR		(derived) child's year of birth
RPMARST		(derived) marital status
RPYRMA		(derived) year of marriage
RALOOP10		(derived) which accommodation loop respondent was in when aged 10
RASTLYR		(derived) year started living in residence
RWAGELE		(derived) age left full-time education
RWJSTYR		(derived) year started job