Table 1.
Core Study Measures
| 1. Self-reported health (Wave 1 and Wave 2)a |
| A. How would you rate your overall health at the present time? |
| B. Would you say your health is better, about the same, or worse than most people your age? |
| C. Do you think your health is better, about the same, or worse than it was a year ago? |
| 2. Alcohol use (Wave 1) |
| A. Do you ever drink beer, wine, or liquor (yes/no)? |
| 3. Number of chronic conditions (Wave 2)b |
| A. This measure was constructed by summing the number of chronic conditions (range 0–12). |
| 4. Forgiveness of others (Wave 1 and 2) |
| A. How often do you forgive others for things they have done to you?c |
| B. How often do you hold a grudge?d |
| C. How often do you feel resentful toward others for things they have done?d |
| D. How hard is it for you to forgive others?e |
| 5. Neighborhood deterioration as rated by the interviewer (Wave 1 and 2)f |
| A. The conditions of other housing and buildings in the neighborhood. |
| B. The amount of noise from traffic, trains, airplanes, industry, and things like that. |
| C. The quality of the air—the amount of population dirt or fumes in the air. |
| D. The conditions of the streets and roads in the neighborhood. |
| E. Condition of the yard and sidewalks in front of the structure. |
Notes. aA was scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): Poor (1), Fair (2), Good (3), Excellent (4). B and C were scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): Worse (1), About the Same (2), Better (3).
Have experienced any of the following health problems during the past 12 months (yes/no): arthritis or rheumatism; cataracts, glaucoma, or other eye diseases; asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis, or other respiratory diseases; hypertension or taken medication for hypertension; heart attack or other heart trouble; diabetes, high blood sugar, or taken medication for diabetes; ulcers or other stomach or intestinal disorders; liver disease; kidney disease; other urinary tract disorders; cancer or malignant tumor; other major health problem.
This item was scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): Never (1), Once in a while (2), Fairly often (3), Very often (4).
These items were scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): Very often (1), Fairly often (2), Once in a while (3), Never (4).
This item was scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): Extremely hard (1), Somewhat hard (2), A little hard (3), I forgive others easily (4).
These items were scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): Excellent (1), Good (2), Fair (3), Poor (4).