Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

Collecting Biological Indicators in Household Surveys
Pages 1-8

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 1...
... Vaupe' 'n 1996, the Committee on Population of the National Research Council sponsored a novel workshop on the biodemography of aging, which sponsored ~ resulted in the volume Between Zeus and the Salmon: lthe B'odemography of Longevity (National Research Council, 1997~. The workshop and its report, which considered the continuing increases in human life span in a broad biological context, launched a new phase in studies of human aging at the population level.
From page 2...
... In the United States alone, there are at least ten other major population-based surveys with a focus on aging funded in full or in part by a single agency, the Behavioral and Social Science program of the National Institute on Aging (Wallace, 1997~. Among other major surveys with an emphasis on specific age groups or the entire age range are the U.S.
From page 3...
... Even if DNA is not available, studies of twins, siblings, and other relatives and studies of adopted children can be used to shed some light on genetic factors and their interaction with specific environmental factors. Several chapters, especially the one by Vogler, consider gene-environment issues.
From page 4...
... The three chapters by Martin and Hu, McClearn, and Miller provide an accessible introduction to the needed conceptual framework. Wachter argues persuasively that social scientists should more actively consider bioindicators in tempering overly enthusiastic interpretations of genetic information that sometimes lead to crude biological determinism.
From page 5...
... Present discussions of gene-environment interactions that alter aging are fundamental to the central problem in human biology during the 21st century: to identify environmental factors that evoke harmful traits from particular sets of genes. We anticipate that ascertaining the adverse gene-environment interactions during development may be much easier than determining which have adverse impacts on health at later ages.
From page 6...
... Finally, research objectives may be compromised by some kinds of bioindicators if, as Weinstein and Willis put it, "the research process itself affects behaviors that we wish to study." In particular, providing respondents with information about their health and about their genetic risks may cause them to alter their behavior. Throughout this volume lurk a number of ominous questions regarding ethical and legal issues that confront biological data collection, and data collection and use more generally.
From page 7...
... There are deep connections between demography as a discipline and both the broader social sciences and the biological sciences. The branch of demography known as biodemography continues to grow rapidly.
From page 8...
... Nanayakkara 2000 Cognitive function and Apolipoprotein-E in the very old: Findings from the Nun Study. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 55B(2~:S69-S75.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.