ORANJ BOWL

a longitudinal research study

ORANJ BOWL is a traditional longitudinal health study where participants are assessed annually for many years. The goal is to learn about the causal pathways that determine who ages successfully and healthfully with a focus on identifying and understanding the reasons for disparities that may exist between minority and non-minority groups.


Subjects include community dwelling New Jersey residents who are between 50 and 74 years of age when recruited. Only one member of any household is eligible to be included in the sample. Eligible households are contacted through random digit dialing methods ensuring that ORANJ BOWL’s membership represents a probability sample that is statistically representative of the general population.


The longitudinal data set features many measures common to aging research including physical health, functional capacity, mental health, health behaviors, health conditions, psychological measures of self-perception and well-being, as well as an array of lifestyle, financial, and demographic measures. The initial assessment will include self-report measures only. Expansion of the data through collection of biological measures is planned for future assessments.