The Collection of Biospecimens in Health Surveys

This chapter provides a general overview of the practical issues relevant to the collection of biomeasures in health surveys. It highlights the benefits and possible uses of survey-based biomeasure data, describes the types of biomeasure data that have and can be collected, and identifies the specific quality control challenges related to the collection of these data. The chapter then examines the logistical, ethical, and legal issues surrounding this specialized and emerging area of survey research, and offers suggestions on possible methods for disseminating combined survey and biomeasure data post-collection. It draws upon the experiences of eight large-scale surveys to illustrate the broad range of methods currently being used to collect and disseminate such data. The primary goal of the chapter is to leave the reader with a sense of "best practices" for collecting biomeasure data in surveys.