ESRA 2027 sessions by theme

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Session Details

Collection of biomeasure data has been a key feature of many social surveys for a long time. This includes anthropometric (e.g. height, weight, waist), functional (e.g. grip strength, balance), neurological, 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. These additional data supplement participant survey data, allowing for more detailed and accurate measurement of people’s health and health related behaviours.

Technological and social advances, as well as recent shifts in survey research methodology, provide new opportunities, but also new challenges, to the collection of biomeasure data. This includes new developments in wearables / sensors and advances in biomarker analysis of collected samples, which make collecting different information more feasible. It also includes the increase in participant-led collection of biomeasures, that can risk reduced consent rates, higher participant burden, and lower accuracy, but can facilitate larger scale and cost-effectiveness, as well as collection of more sensitive measures, increasing the capacity for granular analysis and inclusion on more studies.

This session, organised by ESRA’s Biomedical Survey Research Special Interest Group (SIG), 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
• Participant-led collection of biomeasures

Papers need not be restricted to these specific examples.