Basic Demographics🔗

General Considerations

When using HBCD data, all data users must agree to responsible use as described in the DUC. When conceptualizing studies, analyzing data, and communicating findings from studies that use variables such as race, ethnicity, country of origin, and socioeconomic data, it is critical to consider strategies to avoid stigmatization of any groups and perpetuating harmful biases.

Use of Race & Ethnicity Variables

Race and ethnicity are collected as a part of the HBCD protocol to reflect social experiences (i.e., representing social constructs), and should not be conceptualized as biological, natural, intrinsic, or fixed categories of people. In addition, researchers sometimes use race/ethnicity variables as a proxy for unmeasured social experiences or environmental exposures. HBCD measures a wide variety of social experiences and environmental exposures. In analyzing HBCD data, race/ethnicity should not be used as a proxy for measured variables.

Basic Demographics (sed_basic_demographics) is a derived measure with information computed from the following sources:

  • Administrative screening records collected by HBCD Study staff, as reported by the birth parent, during the enrolment/screening process (e.g. the age and race/ethnicity of the pregnant study participant)
  • Demographics instruments (Social & Environmental Determinants), including Adult and Child (sed_{bm|ch}_demo)

Basic Demographics includes global, visit-agnostic variables that do not change over time and should be consistent across all visits for the adult/caregiver and beginning at Visit 2 for the child (post-birth). Note that if only V01 data for a given adult participant is included in the release (due to ongoing enrollment, participant withdrawal, etc.), then items about their child will be missing, as the child is not born until after the V01 visit.

Age, Sex, & Other Variables🔗

Unless stated otherwise in the description, the following variables such as sex and age are computed from administrative records collected during screening. Variables such as education and income are derived from the Demographics instrument (Adult Form), noted in the description.

Construct Variable Visit Description
Maternal age at V01 mother_age_v01 V01 Birth parent's age in years (2 decimal places) at V01 visit
Formula: Number of whole months (rounded down) divided by 12
Maternal age at delivery mother_age_delivery V02 Birth parent's age in years (2 decimal places) at time of child's delivery
Formula: Number of whole months (rounded down) divided by 12
Gestational age at delivery gestational_age_delivery V02 Age of child at delivery
Formula: Whole weeks (rounded down) between LMP and child's DOB
Child sex sex V02 Derived from administrative records
Birth mother education rc_mother_education V01 Derived from the Demographics Form (sed_bm_demo_edu_001)
Total household income rc_mother_income V01 Derived from the Demographics Form (sed_bm_demo_income_002)
Recruitment site recruitment_site V01 De-identified site ID derived from administrative records

Race & Ethnicity - ACS/Administrative Records🔗

Race and ethnicity variables are computed from ACS race and ethnicity items derived from administrative records collected during screening. Combined race and ethnicity variables are constructed following current federal standards. Participants who identify as Hispanic or Latino are categorized as Hispanic, regardless of race. Participants who select more than one race are categorized as Multiracial, with aggregation performed by either ethnicity based on Hispanic identity (Multiracial (Hispanic) or Multiracial (non-Hispanic)) or race based on Black/African American identity (Multiracial (Black) or Multiracial (non-Black)).

Construct Variable Name Visit Description
Child ethnicity child_ethnicity V02 Standard ACS ethnicity item
Child race child_race V02 Standard ACS race item
Child race/ethnicity, multiracial aggregation by ethnicity child_ethnoracial_acs_by_multi_ethnicity V02 Child combined race and ethnicity constructed from ACS items, with multiracial aggregation by Hispanic distinction
Birth mother race screen_mother_race V01 Standard ACS race item
Birth mother ethnicity screen_mother_ethnicity V01 Standard ACS ethnicity item
Mother race indicator
variables (0–5)		 screen_mother_race_
multi___{0–5}		 V01 Indicator variables from ACS race item:
0 = White
1 = Black or African American
2 = American Indian or Alaska Native
3 = Asian
4 = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
5 = Other race
Mother race/ethnicity, multiracial aggregation by ethnicity screen_mother_ethnoracial_acs_by_multi_ethnicity V01 Maternal combined race and ethnicity constructed from ACS items, with multiracial aggregation by Hispanic distinction
Mother race/ethnicity, multiracial aggregation by race screen_mother_ethnoracial_acs_by_multi_race V01 Maternal combined race and ethnicity constructed from ACS items, with multiracial aggregation by Black/non-Black distinction

Race & Ethnicity - All of US🔗

A second set of race and ethnicity variables are computed from a single All of Us (AOU) race/ethnicity item collected as part of the Demographics instrument. For AOU-derived variables, combined race and ethnicity variables are constructed following OMB standards: Participants who identify as Hispanic/Latino (alone or with another group) are categorized as Hispanic or Latino; all others are categorized as non-Hispanic (Non-Hispanic {Asian|Black|White}).

Construct Variable Name Visit Description
Mother race indicators (0–7) rc_mother_race___{0–7} V01 AOU item race indicators:
0=American Indian or Alaska Native
1=Asian
2=Black, African American, or African
3=Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish
4=Middle Eastern or North African
5=Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
6=White
7=None of these fully describe me
Mother race/ethnicity rc_mother_ethnoracial_aou_race_ethnicity V01 Aggregated maternal race/ethnicity constructed from AOU item. Participants are classified as either Hispanic or Non-Hispanic ({Asian|Black|White}).