Detroit Area Study, 1995: Social Influence on Health: Stress, Racism, and Health Protective Resources

This survey explored the ways in which social influences,
such as stress and racism, affected health, and the impact these
influences had on the respondents' outlook on life. Respondents were
questioned about their health status and their exercise, smoking,
sleeping, and dieting habits, as well as about diagnosed health problems
and depression and their effects on daily activities. Respondents were
also asked a series of questions regarding their employment status, type
of job and whether it was a supervisory position,
the racial makeup of their workgroup, their perceptions of their
position and job, the likelihood of their finding another job, hassles
experienced while at work, and whether they had any trouble balancing
family and work. Another series of questions asked respondents whether
they had been a victim of a serious physical attack or assault, robbery,
or home burglary, if they had ever been unfairly searched, stopped, or
questioned by police, why they felt they had been treated this way, and
if they felt they had ever been treated unfairly by a teacher, landlord,
or neighbor. Opinions were also solicited on the respondents' experience
with depression and anxiety. Respondents were asked whether they felt it
was possible to reach their goals, how satisfied they were with their
present situation, how often they felt depressed and how long this
feeling lasted, whether they lost weight or sleep due to this feeling,
how this feeling of depression made them view themselves, how often and
how long they were worried about things that were not likely to happen,
how often they worried about non-serious things, and how they felt
physically when they were anxious or depressed. Another set of questions
queried respondents on alcohol and drug use. Respondents were asked how
often they drank alcohol, the most they had to drink at one time,
whether they had experienced any addiction to alcohol or experienced any
emotional or psychological problems associated with drinking, whether
they had any problem controlling their drinking, whether they had used
drugs outside of a doctor's order, what types of drugs they had used,
how often and in what type of situations they had used these drugs, and
whether they had any addiction to the drugs. Respondents were also asked
whether they had a regular doctor, whether they went to a doctor's
office or clinic to seek medical attention, the last time they had gone
for a checkup, how they were treated by staff at the visit, whether they
trusted their doctor, the reasons why they did or did not receive
medical attention, and whether they had health insurance. Respondents
were also asked for their perceptions of differences between Blacks and
whites, attitudes toward affirmative action with regard to employment,
and their attitude toward interracial relationships. Another battery of
questions queried respondents on any fears or phobias they had, such as
a fear of animals, water, or visiting a doctor or dentist. Questions
focused on the severity of these fears, how long they had had these
fears, and how much these fears interfered in daily activities. A final
set of questions gathered demographic information on respondents such as
highest level of education completed, political affiliation, religious
affiliation, level of religious participation, importance of religion,
birth date, whether they owned their own home or rented, how much they
spent on food each week, total family income for the year 1994, and the
height and weight of respondents.