title: Cohort Profile: The Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) in Taiwan.
abstract: The Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) is a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Taiwanese middle-aged and older adults. It adds the collection of biomarkers and performance assessments to the Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging (TLSA), a nationally representative study of adults aged 60 and over, including the institutionalized population. The TLSA began in 1989, with follow-ups approximately every 3 years; younger refresher cohorts were added in 1996 and 2003. The first wave of SEBAS, based on a sub-sample of respondents from the 1999 TLSA, was conducted in 2000. A total of 1023 respondents completed both a face-to-face home interview and, several weeks later, a hospital-based physical examination. In addition to a 12-h (7 pm-7 am) urine specimen collected the night before and a fasting blood specimen collected during the examination, trained staff measured blood pressure, height, weight and waist and hip circumferences. A second wave of SEBAS was conducted in 2006 using a similar protocol to SEBAS 2000, but with the addition of performance assessments conducted by the interviewers at the end of the home interview. Both waves of SEBAS also included measures of health status (physical, emotional, cognitive), health behaviours, social relationships and exposure to stressors. The SEBAS data, which are publicly available at [http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/3792/version/5], allow researchers to explore the relationships among life challenges, the social environment and health and to examine the antecedents, correlates and consequences of change in biological measures and health.
authors.affiliation: Jennifer C Cornman Consulting, Granville, OH, USA, jencornman@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cornman
authors.affiliation: Center for Population and Health, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Dana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Glei
authors.affiliation: Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Noreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: Ming-Cheng
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: Hui-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: Yi-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: Baai-Shyun
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Hurng
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: Yu-Hsuan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: Shu-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: I-Wen
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan and.
authors.forename: Hsia-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center for Population and Health, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Maxine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers