The Second Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA II) is a collaborative effort of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Conducted ten years after the original LSOA, it is a prospective study with a nationally representative sample comprised of 9,447 civilian non-institutionalized persons 70 years of age and over in 1995. The specific aims of the study include:

The Second Supplement on Aging (SOA II), conducted as a supplement to the 1994 National Health Institute Survey (NHIS), served as the baseline for the LSOA II. Follow-up interviews were conducted in 1997–98 (Wave 2) and 1999–2000 (Wave 3). The baseline interview was administered face-to-face in the home by U.S. Census Bureau interviewers. The Wave 2 and Wave 3 follow-up interviews were administered using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The interview data may be augmented by linkage to Medicare records, the National Death Index, and multiple cause-of-death records.