Puerto Rico Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PR-PSID) - This project will design and launch the Puerto Rico Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PR-PSID), a longitudinal panel survey advancing the NIH mission by generating the first population-representative longitudinal data on health outcomes and differentials in health outcomes among Puerto Ricans, a historically underserved U.S. population. Puerto Rico has among the nation's highest rates of physician-diagnosed chronic conditions: hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, asthma, arthritis, and cancer are all markedly elevated relative to U.S. states, and mental health and psychiatric conditions diagnosed by medical providers have worsened dramatically following Hurricane Maria, the 2020 earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The PR-PSID questionnaire is comprehensive in its health coverage, capturing: physician-diagnosed chronic conditions (stroke, heart attack, coronary heart disease, hypertension, asthma, chronic lung disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, memory loss, learning disorders, and emotional or psychiatric conditions) with medication and treatment status; ADL and IADL functional disability scales; a reproductive and maternal health module covering contraceptive use and method, pregnancy intentions, prenatal care access, delivery payment source, and breastfeeding; and childhood health histories from birth through age 18. Gathering data on these indicators will support research into the developmental origins of chronic disease across the life course and help identify intervention points for solutions to reduce chronic disease rates in Puerto Rico. PR-PSID will adapt instruments, sampling procedures, and fieldwork protocols from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), producing data directly comparable to U.S. PSID data and enabling longitudinal research on differentials in health outcomes, the Hispanic health paradox, and the health consequences of migration, disaster exposure, and poverty across the life course. Our three specific aims are to develop survey instruments and a sampling frame; pilot test the questionnaire and protocols; and implement the baseline wave and distribute data free of charge to the research community. PR-PSID will be the only representative family panel survey in Puerto Rico capturing the full range of health, social, economic, and demographic processes, and its public-use data will fill a critical gap in Puerto Rico's health research infrastructure, informing interventions to reduce differentials in health outcomes and improve health for this historically underserved U.S. population.
