ESRA 2025 Preliminary Glance Program

All time references are in CEST

New approaches to biomeasure collection in social surveys 2
Session Organisers	Ms Anne Conolly (National Centre for Social Research ) Dr Erica Wong (CLS, UCL Institute of Education) Dr Colter Mitchell (University of Michigan) Dr Jonathan Burton (ISER, University of Essex) Mrs Christine Woods (ISER, University of Essex) Dr Shaun Scholes (UCL)
Time	Wednesday 16 July, 14:00 - 15:00
Room	Ruppert 134

The inclusion of biomeasures is an important feature of many social research surveys, providing the objective measurement of a wide range of health indicators. Recent shifts in survey research methodology, for example remote and mixed-mode approaches, pose challenges for the successful implementation of biomeasure data collection, including development of new approaches.
Biomeasures include a range of anthropometric (e.g. height, weight, waist), functional (e.g. grip strength, balance), and sensory (e.g. hearing) measurements, as well as biological samples (e.g. blood, saliva, urine), other physiological health measurements (e.g. blood pressure, lung function), and device-based measurement of physical activity.
Historically, biomeasure data has primarily been collected in participants’ homes or at clinics. Data collection is commonly administered by those with medical training and expertise (such as nurses), by trained field interviewers or self-administered by participants. The growing trend towards remote survey methods requires the development of new approaches in biomeasure data collection. These include biological samples by mail, app-based data collection, device-based measurement and the application of correction factors to self-reported anthropometric data. These alternative approaches often present survey researchers with a range of challenges that present risks to data quality.
This session invites survey practitioners to share their experiences of developing and implementing new approaches to biomeasure data collection. We welcome submissions relating to:
• Innovative approaches to the collection of biomeasures
• Comparisons of different biomeasure collection approaches
• Respondent-led collection of biomeasures
• Maximising response to and/or representativeness of biomeasures
• Maximising data quality and validity of biomeasures
• Ethical challenges in the remote collection of biomeasures (e.g. relating to consent, feedback of results, etc.)
Papers need not be restricted to these specific examples.

Keywords: biomeasures, health data, biosocial, biomarkers

Papers

Moving a national diet survey to a web-first methodology: implications for consent to and collection of biomeasures

Mrs Beverley Bates (National Centre for Social Research) - Presenting Author
Mr Kerry Jones (Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge)

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) is the only nationally representative survey on diet and nutritional status of the UK population. Whilst NDNS started in 2008 as a traditional in-person survey it moved in November 2024 to a web-first methodology, which vastly increases the amount of data and the speed at which it is collected. A key NDNS measurement is urinary iodine concentration measured in spot urines of those aged 4 years and older. The aim is to collect and analyse samples from 800 participants across the UK per year.

In the presentation we will give an overview of the practicalities of collecting remote samples in multi-participant households. We will explore whether the representativeness of those providing a spot urine sample and the quality/usability of the collected samples are comparable to the data previously collected via in-person visits. We will also consider whether a remote protocol can be extended to other measures collected in NDNS and further, how much complexity is realistic to expect a web- first design to handle.

Remote collection of biomeasures in Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study

Dr Jonathan Burton (ISER, University of Essex) - Presenting Author
Professor Michaela Benzeval (ISER, University of Essex)
Mrs Christine Wood (ISER, University of Essex)

Understanding Society: The UK Households Longitudinal Study is a large-scale annual study that started in 2009. After Waves 2 and 3, a sub-sample of the study participants received a nurse visit to collect a range of biomeasures. In 2024, we launched Wave 16 of the study, which was also a biomeasure wave. Whilst starting as face-to-face, the study has shifted to a mixed-mode survey that uses web, face-to-face, and telephone interviewing. The move towards a mixed-mode survey, with more participants completing their annual interview online, required us to develop new methods of collecting biomeasures for Wave 16.

This presentation describes development and testing process that influenced the design of Wave 16. It covers a range of experiments using the Understanding Society Innovation Panel and the pilot for Wave 16. It includes the comparison of eliciting biomeasures from those who complete online with those who are interviewed in-person by a field interviewer or a nurse. We have tested the use of two apps to measure (i) body volume, and (ii) spatial awareness as a potential early sign of dementia. We have also tested the collection of biomarkers using dried blood spots, capillary blood, and a stool sample to collect microbiome. We investigated both the uptake of different protocols and measurement errors.

Wave 16 of the study launched in January 2024, and will continue until May 2026. As well as presenting information about the development and protocol of Wave 16, we will also present some early results on the take-up and return of biomarker samples.

Testing the impact of saliva collection on survey response: A feasibility study for a new UK birth cohort

Dr Erica Wong (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London) - Presenting Author
Professor Pasco Fearon (University College London and University of Cambridge)
Professor Lisa Calderwood (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London)
Professor Alissa Goodman (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London)
Ms Karen Dennison (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London)
Dr Alyce Raybould (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London)
Dr Konstantinos Tsigaridis (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London)

In longitudinal birth cohort studies, collecting DNA samples enables researchers to understand the interplay between biology and social environment and doing so at the baseline wave of a study provides an opportunity to genotype children and parents before subsequent attrition takes place. However, collecting saliva samples for DNA extraction at the first wave has not yet been tested in the UK, and it is unclear what the impact on overall recruitment to a longitudinal study would be. In order to test the impact of saliva collection on recruitment at an initial wave, a randomised subsample of families was asked to provide saliva for DNA extraction in the ELC-FS.
The Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (ELC-FS) collected information about several thousand babies aged between 8-12 months old, and their families in 2023-2024 in order to test the feasibility of conducting a new UK-wide birth cohort study. It is led by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at University College London with interviewing carried out by Ipsos. Interviews were carried out using web, phone and video-interviewing as well as face-to-face, and mothers and fathers (including those living in their own households) were recruited directly and separately.
In ELC-FS, saliva consent and collection could be administered in-person or remotely, and saliva was collected (if consented) for each biological parent as well as the cohort child. We discuss the qualitative testing conducted ahead of fieldwork to test materials and acceptability of this, and we present results on the survey response rates of the saliva subsample compared to the non-saliva sample, as well as the consent and return rates for parents and babies, and variation in those rates across key sociodemographic subgroups.

Collecting saliva samples for DNA genotyping in a large-scale cohort study of young adults in England

Dr Tugba Adali (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London)
Mr Matt Brown (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London)
Dr Alessandra Gaia (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London) - Presenting Author
Professor Morag Henderson (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London)
Dr Darina Peycheva (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health, formerly Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London)
Dr Tim Morris (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London)

Social surveys now often collect biological samples in order to obtain objective measures of health. Increasingly, DNA is extracted to facilitate analysis of the interplay between genetics and social behaviour. The research utility of biological samples is enormous, but the collection can be extremely challenging, and increasing use of web and other remote methods for conducting surveys makes these challenges even more pronounced.

This presentation describes the collection of saliva samples for genotyping in the 9th wave of a large-scale longitudinal study of young adults in England: the Next Steps Age 32 survey. Prior waves of data collection have primarily focused on socio-economic factors and participants have never previously been asked to provide any form of biomeasure of biological sample. The request to provide a saliva sample therefore marked a significant transition for the study. The study uses a web-first mixed mode design so a further challenge was motivating web participants to consent and then post back their samples. We will describe the protocol, the consent rates, return rates and the quality of the samples for genotyping. We will analyse the factors associated with the likelihood of consenting and returning a sample (including the impact of an increase in incentives during fieldwork) and will describe the reasons given by those unwilling to consent. We conclude with recommendations for survey practice including suggestions for collection protocols and respondent materials.

Overcoming Pandemic Challenges: Adapting Sexual Health Biodata Collection using remote approaches

Ms Eileen Irvin (Ipsos) - Presenting Author
Ms Katherine Sadler (UCL and Natcen)

The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) explores sexual health, attitudes, and behaviours in Britain, and has been running since 1990. This presentation focuses on the innovative, mixed-mode approach to biodata collection during the latest wave (Natsal-4).

Natsal-4, commissioned by a consortium (UCL, LSHTM, University of Glasgow, and NatCen) and funded by Wellcome Trust, ESRC, and NIHR, transitioned from a face-to-face probability sample to a mixed-mode design due to pandemic-related disruptions and declining response rates to traditional surveys. This innovative approach involved three recruitment channels: 1) face-to-face interviews with remote (telephone/online) options, 2) a random probability telephone panel with a shorter online survey for non-respondents, (delivered by NatCen) and 3) an online opt-in panel with quotas for age, gender, region, and social grade, boosted for young people and specific ethnic minority groups (delivered by Ipsos).

All modes included requests for data linkage and biosamples (vaginal swabs for cis-female participants and urine samples for cis-female participants who refused a vaginal swab, as well as cis-male, trans, and non-binary participants). Samples were tested for sexually transmitted infections (chlyamydia, gonorrhoea, human papillomavirus (HPV), trichomonas, and mycoplasma genitalium (MGen)) and the microbiome of the genital tract. Results of these tests were not shared with participants. Remote participants received and returned self-collection kits via post. This mixed-mode approach allowed for a larger, more diverse sample, potentially mitigating non-response bias and improving representation of traditionally hard-to-reach groups. However, it also presented challenges, including ensuring data quality and comparability across modes, particularly for sensitive biodata. This presentation will discuss the process of collecting this personal biodata as part of a highly sensitive survey, using different modes, and the impact on who provided biosamples.