CHARLS: Study Overview
The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) is a longitudinal survey of people aged 45 and older and their partners, living in private households in China. Its main goal is to provide a data resource on health and socioeconomic status as older adults age. The survey elicits information about demographics, family structure, health, health care use and costs, job status and history, income, assets, and housing.
The CHARLS core interview is carried out every two years through Wave 3, and every three years thereafter through face-to-face interviews using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) since 2011.
In addition to the core interview, CHARLS also collects a number of other types of data.
| End of Life Interview | Conducted at Wave 2 with someone knowledgeable about deceased respondents. |
|---|---|
| Life History Interview | Conducted in 2014 for all respondents. |
| Health Assessment | Conducted at all waves for all respondents. |
| Blood-Based Biomarkers | Venous blood was drawn at Waves 1 and 3 for all respondents via qualified nurse assessment. |
| Cognitive Assessment | The Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) was conducted at Wave 4 on respondents aged 60 and older. |
The CHARLS Wave 1 sample included 12,740 selected households. Since then, the CHARLS sample has been refreshed at waves 2 and 3. When a refreshment sample is drawn, households are selected for CHARLS from the initial probability sample if they have a newly age-eligible respondent that was not eligible at Wave 1.
