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Biosocial Surveys (2008) / Chapter Skim
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7 Comments on Collecting and Utilizing Biological Indicators in Social Science Surveys--Duncan Thomas and Elizabeth Frankenberg
Pages 149-155

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From page 149...
... Each chapter tells a tale of exemplary creativity in the design and implementation of studies that have yielded insights regarding a broad array of indicators of health status, their prevalence in specific populations, and, in some cases, their associations with individual characteristics and the social environment. These studies provide a tantalizing array of intriguing facts and promise extraordinary opportunities to better understand the complexities underlying the interplay between social behavior and biology.
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From page 150...
... The latter includes resources for the collection of other survey items, sample composition and sample size, including the age range of the sample, whether to include other family members in the study, whether to purposively sample particular subpopulations, and whether to follow subjects over time in order to collect longitudinal information on health and social status. These are not easy choices, and one size does not fit all.
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From page 151...
... Data from IFLS indicate that around a third of reproductive-age women (ages 15 to 40) in Indonesia have low levels of iron, as indicated by Hb levels below 120g/L (the cutoff recommended by the World Health Organization)
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From page 152...
... Iron deficiency is associated with elevated susceptibility to disease and fatigue. Moreover, there is a substantial body of literature that demonstrates that iron deficient anemia -- the combination of low Hb and inadequate iron stores -- results in reduced work capacity, as measured by, for example, V02max.
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From page 153...
... Because low Hb alone does not indicate iron deficient anemia, we also measured iron stores with transferrin receptors using dried blood spots and an Elisa assay (McDade and Shell-Duncan, 2002) that were collected at the same time that Hb levels were measured.
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From page 154...
... CONCLUSION This example provides an illustration of the potential value of integrating theoretical insights from the nutrition and biochemistry literatures with those from the social sciences. The credibility of this study relies crucially on the combination of direction from the health sciences on the likely impact of iron on health and well-being, knowledge of the appropriate markers to assess changes in iron (and thus health)
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From page 155...
... . Iron supplementation, iron deficient anemia, and hemoglobinopathies: Evidence from older adults in rural Indonesia.
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Key Terms

  • hourly earnings
  • iron supplementation
  • work capacity
  • population surveys
  • received iron

  • science surveys
  • age profile
  • theoretical insights
  • dried blood
  • iron stores

  • iron deficiency
  • transferrin receptors
  • levels decline
  • blood spots
  • economic theory

  • blister packs
  • earnings increase
  • iron supplements
  • health status
  • biomarker measurement

  • behavioral response
  • measured work
  • visited twice
  • nonanimal sources
  • age distribution

  • ensure compliance
  • earlier studies
  • receptor level
  • individual characteristics
  • carefully monitoring


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