Biomedical research

Understanding Society's household design includes collecting a number of biological measures, including anthropometric measures (height, weight, waistline, body fat percentage), respiratory function, blood pressure and hand strength, from adults. 

These biomarkers collected within families will increase our understanding of diseases, their timing and onset. It will be possible to explore a range of issues, including why some people get diseases such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes while others don't; the decline of health in old age; and which genetic traits contribute to diseases like Alzheimer's.

This biosocial component of Understanding Society increases the possibility for interdisciplinary research with health and social sciences, enhancing the rich longitudinal socio-economic and psychological survey data.

Data collection took place from 2010 (during Wave 2 and Wave 3) by trained nurses in the participants' homes. The participants were all adults (aged 16 or older) and residents in England, Scotland or Wales. In Wave 2, participants were from the general population sample, whereas in Wave 3 they were from the former British Household Panel Survey sample.

Non-fasting blood samples were taken to support blood tests and for genetic analysis. Subject to funding constraints, the following analytes will be available:

• Lipids
• HbA1c
• hsCRP
• Cytokines
• Testosterone

Nurse visits are estimated to be conducted with 20,000 adults.

Direct measurements, e.g. blood pressure, will be released in anonymised form through the Economic and Social Data Service via the End User Licence. Selected blood test values (analytes) will also be released in this way. Access to the biological samples will be managed by the Data Access Committee. The protocols for access will be made available online when finalised.