Page Last Updated: October 28, 2025
V01 Demographicsđź”—
sed_bm_demoWhen 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.
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 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.
Participant-Reported Challenges
Some participants reported challenges in answering certain questions, such as those related to race and ethnicity (e.g. options did not capture identity) and occupation (i.e. imperfect option for job type and number of hours).
Withheld Variables/Variable Data With Small Cell Sizes
Some variables with small cell sizes were withheld from the data release to minimize any risk of disclosure of identifying information. In addition, there are some variables that do not contain any data in the current data release (e.g., response options allowed for more household members and more jobs during pregnancy than were reported by the respondents who completed V01 to date). These variables are currently being retained because this could change as data collection proceeds.
Branching Logic
There are several items with branching logic; please consult the following resources for each questionnaire to see question flow and data dictionaries for information on skip patterns. Topics with branching logic include:
| Household roster | Click to view |
| Nativity | PhenX Toolkit |
| Jobs / work environment | • Zachek et al., 2019 (original workplace hazard instrument) • PhenX Occupation/Occupational History Toolkit |
| Items on other biological parent with opt in responses | Click to view |
Household Roster to be Added Release 2.0
Note that Household Roster is currently missing and will be included in release 2.0.
Administration & Quality Controlđź”—
| Child Specific | No |
| Respondent | Parent |
| Administration | HBCD Study Staff, in person |
| Visits | V01, V04 |
| Completion Time | 10 min |
| Quality Control | Data dashboard was monitored for variable missingness, possible coding errors, scoring verification when needed, and data consistency - high missingness was noted for income, although this is in line with expectations. |
Instrument Detailsđź”—
Demographic information is crucial for understanding the child’s environment and identifying how social, structural, and economic factors influence development over time in a longitudinal study of child development. The HBCD Study demographics survey is designed to gather comprehensive information on socioeconomic status and various demographic factors. Its primary purpose is to capture data on race, ethnicity, nativity, income, education, and occupation, as well as relationship status, primary residence, and household composition of the parent carrying the child, and some basic information on the other biological parent. Please see Cioffredi et al. 2024 for a detailed description of the HBCD Demographics survey.
Also see Basic Demographics, which includes variables derived from the HBCD Demographics V01 instrument and data collected during study enrolment/screening.
Below are alterations made to demographic constructs to tailor it to the HBCD Study. The modifications were made to reduce bias and capture a more inclusive and accurate breadth of demographic information, e.g. by correcting for embedded assumptions of heteronormative nuclear-family structures.
- Marital & Relationship Status alterations to reduce heteronormative bias:
- Combine "Divorced/Separated"
- "Never Married" replaced by "Single"
- "Member of an Unmarried Couple" replaced by "Partnered"
- Primary Residence destigmatization of living situations: Inclusion of options for individuals in treatment facilities, shelters, or unhoused.
- Household Roster alteration to reduce nuclear family assumptions: expansion of family/caregiver roles
- Race/Ethnicity and Others Describe You: Inclusion of racial and ethnic categories aligned with proposed OMB recommendations using a combined race and ethnicity variable with 7 response options (Federal Register 2023). Participant can select all that apply.
- Income: Alteration of household income brackets.
Table 1. Demographics of Birth Parent
| Construct | Source | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| Marital and Relationship Status | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Sexual Orientation | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Primary Residence | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Years At Current Address | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Household Roster | ECHO Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes | None available |
| Birthplace and Heritage | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Years Living in the United States | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Race/Ethnicity | OMB Office of Management & Budget | Federal Register 2023 |
| Others Describe You | BRFSS Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System | Jones et al. 2008 |
| Biological Parents Birthplace and Heritage | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Income | ABCD Adolescent Brain Child Development Study | Barch et al. 2017 |
| Educational Attainment | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Active-Duty Military | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Currently Work for Pay | BFY Baby's First Years | Year 1 Protocol - G35, Mwork |
| Total Hours of Work In Last Week | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Jobs During Pregnancy - { All Jobs - Work 35+ Hr/Wk; At Least 1 Job At 20 Hr/Wk for 1 Month; Type of Work; Job Start/Stop Dates; Typical Hours/Week } | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Jobs During Pregnancy - Shift Schedule | BFY Baby's First Years | Year 1 Protocol - G39, SchedMain |
| Construct | Source | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| Age | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Race/Ethnicity | OMB Office of Management & Budget | Federal Register 2023 |
| Birthplace and Heritage | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Years Living in The United States | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Biological Parents Country of Origin | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Education | PhenX | Hamilton, et al. (2011) |
| Job At Conception - { Work for Pay; Type of Work; Full Time/ Part Time } | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Active-Duty Military | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
| Help Out Financially | HBCD | Cioffredi, et al. (2024) |
Referencesđź”—
Barch, D. M., Albaugh, M. D., Avenevoli, S., Chang, L., Clark, D. B., Glantz, M. D., Hudziak, J. J., Jernigan, T. L., Tapert, S. F., Yurgelun-Todd, D., Alia-Klein, N., Potter, A. S., Paulus, M. P., Prouty, D., Zucker, R. A., & Sher, K. J. (2018). Demographic, physical and mental health assessments in the adolescent brain and cognitive development study: Rationale and description. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 32, 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2017.10.010
Cioffredi, L.-A., Yerby, L. G., Burris, H. H., Cole, K. M., Engel, S. M., Murray, T. M., Slopen, N., Volk, H. E., Acheson, A., & HBCD Social and Environmental Determinants Working Group. (2024). Assessing prenatal and early childhood social and environmental determinants of health in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD). Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 69(101429), 101429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101429
Federal Register. (2023, January 27). Initial Proposals For Updating OMB’s Race and Ethnicity Statistical Standards (Document No. 2023-01635). 88 FR 5375-5384.
Hamilton, C. M., Strader, L. C., Pratt, J. G., Maiese, D., Hendershot, T., Kwok, R. K., Hammond, J. A., Huggins, W., Jackman, D., Pan, H., Nettles, D. S., Beaty, T. H., Farrer, L. A., Kraft, P., Marazita, M. L., Ordovas, J. M., Pato, C. N., Spitz, M. R., Wagener, D., … Haines, J. (2011). The PhenX Toolkit: get the most from your measures. American Journal of Epidemiology, 174(3), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwr193
Jones, C. P., Truman, B. I., Elam-Evans, L. D., Jones, C. A., Jones, C. Y., Jiles, R., Rumisha, S. F., & Perry, G. S. (2008). Using “socially assigned race” to probe white advantages in health status. Ethnicity & Disease, 18(4), 496–504. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19157256
Zachek, C. M., Schwartz, J. M., Glasser, M., DeMicco, E., & Woodruff, T. J. (2019). A screening questionnaire for occupational and hobby exposures during pregnancy. Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England), 69(6), 428–435. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqz094