Correction to: Journal of Human Genetics

https://doi.org/10.1038/jhg.2014.14

published online 6 March 2014

In the original paper, we used the variable “URBRUR08,” from the 2008 survey wave as a measure of childhood urbanicity. Upon further investigation we realized that this variable actually measured Beale urban-rural code during the respondent’s adulthood.

Thus, we reran our analysis of the pseudo-heritability of childhood urbanicity using the variable, “B049”. As shown in Table 1, below, the original results hold such that even with the first 20 principal components held constant, childhood urban-rural status appears to be ~20% “heritable” in GREML models—a figure that is actually higher than the original estimate reported in the paper (14% controlling for 25 PCs, 15% controlling for 10 PCs, and 29% controlling for two PCs). Meanwhile, the heritabilities of the other phenotypes—height, BMI and education—still do not change when they are residualized on childhood urbanicity. In other words, the original results of the paper do not change. The new HRS variable is shown below as depicted in the 1995 Wave. This question was re-asked in 1996 and in subsequent waves in cases where there was not a valid response from 1995 or 1996. We used the earliest valid value and excluded those respondents who had missing values for all waves:

D718

A28.LIVE IN CITY/TOWN/RURAL

 

Section: A

Level: Respondent

CAI Reference: Q718

 

Type: Numeric

Width: 1

Decimals: 0

 

A28. Were you living in a rural area most of the time when you were (in grade school/in high school/about age 10)?

 

................................................................................

 

1994

1. YES

 
 

2883

5. NO

 
 

1

7. Other

 
 

8

8. DK (don't know); NA (not ascertained)

 
  

9. RF (refused)

 
 

2141

Blank. INAP (Inapplicable); ([Q370:W1 INTERV] IS (1) AND [Q108:W1 R EDUCATION YEARS V125] IS (0)) OR ([Q370:W1 INTERV] IS (NE 1) AND [Q649:A3] IS (0))

 

The corresponding variables for this question in subsequent waves are the following: E718 (1996 core); F1038 (1998 core); G1125 (2000 core); HB049 (2002 core); SB049 (2002 exit); JB049 (2004 core); TB049 (2004 exit); KB049 (2006 core); LB049 (2008 core); VB049 (2008 exit); MB049 (2010 core); NB049 (2012 core); OB049 (2014 core); PB049 (2016 core).

Table 1 GREML heritability estimates for shared childhood urbanicity, height, BMI and educational attainment
Full size table