Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #120772

Angie Jaszczak, MPH, NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E. Monroe Street, Suite 1840, Chicago, IL 60603, 312-759-4236, jaszczak-angie@norc.org

The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) will examine the biophysical mechanisms linking social relationships to health at older ages. A nationally-representative sample of 3000 men and women ages 58-85 will participate in in-home, face-to-face interviews and biophysical marker collection. In order to accomplish safe and efficient collection of a broad and diverse set of biophysical measures in the home with non-medical field staff, innovative methods for collection, transfer, laboratory analysis and training have been developed. NSHAP prioritizes minimally-invasive and self-administered collection techniques in combination with cutting-edge technology, typically not available via commercial clinical vendors or laboratories. Dissemination and translation of these advances from the population “laboratory” may facilitate data collection in the clinical setting or, perhaps, advances in dissemination of diagnostic and therapeutic technology to developing and remote regions.

Learning Objectives:

• The presentation will discuss approaches for operationalizing biomarker collection in a national population-based survey. Considerations for implementing in-home collection protocols include tailoring protocols to the population (people over 55), respondent and interviewer burden, limitations of the physical environment, and the availability of portable, economical collection equipment. In addition, logistical challenges for processing and shipping biological samples in the field without compromising the sample quality are imposed by constraints of the sample itself. Lessons learned will also be discussed.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.