Hi, I’m wondering if there is any way to get more information about the “Other” category of caregiving frequency in the ATUS eldercare module (ecfreq). The questionnaire language suggests that folks who are included in the “Other” category answer an additional question (ecfreq_sp) with specific information about frequency. I couldn’t find an ecfreq_sp variable in IPUMS ATUS. Is there a variable or some aggregated data summary that could help me understand the distribution of caregiving frequency for this “Other” group?
Thanks!
You’re correct that ATUS participants who responded “Other” when asked how often they “provided any care or assistance for an adult who needed help because of a condition related to aging” were then asked to provide additional details in ELFREQ_SP (as noted in the questionnaire). However, the Census Bureau does not release data for this variable in the public use ATUS files that IPUMS harmonizes. I was also unable to find any aggregated data on what these “other” frequencies report.
You might be able to get more details on people who responded “other” by exploring their relationship to the care recipient (HH_EC and RELATER) and how long they have been caring for them (ECMONTH and ECYEAR). I wish that I could have been more helpful. Hopefully investigating this data further and consulting the literature for how other researchers have addressed this issue will help you determine how to best approach this missing information.
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