Objectives: Describe the Estudio Nacional de Salud y Envejecimiento en México (ENASEM), also known by its name in English as the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS).
Materials and methods: This article summarizes the study design, its fieldwork protocol, survey contents, scope and analytical potential. It also presents descriptive results on selected topics. This is a prospective panel study on persons aged 50 or older in the year 2000.
Results: In the baseline survey, completed in 2001 with a national and urban-rural representation, about 15 200 interviews were completed. In the follow-up survey of the same persons in 2003, 90% of the attempted contacts resulted in successful interviews, and 546 interviews were completed about individuals who had died between the 2001 and 2003 visits. Descriptive results are presented on demographic characteristics, health, life style, institutional support, pensions, employment, family help, and two-year changes in health.
Conclusions: There is evidence of large heterogeneity among older adults in Mexico, which is illustrated in a brief and precise way in the results presented. This study and its data bases have great analytical potential for exploring multiple dimensions in the health of older adults.