title: Opinions of Adolescents and Parents About Pediatric Biobanking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A biobank is defined as "a facility for the collection, preservation, storage and supply of biological samples and associated data, which follows standardized operating procedures and provides material for scientific and clinical use." The practice of biobanking must consider the best interests of participants, which is especially complicated in the pediatric setting, where parents or guardians are responsible for consent of their children. Age of participant assent, consent, and reconsent at the age of majority are some of the issues which need to be addressed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an exploratory survey of four cohorts: (1) adolescents aged 14-18 years treated at British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the Division of Oncology, Cardiology, or Orthopedics. (2) Parents of the adolescents described in (1). (3) Adolescents aged 14-18 years from high schools in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (4) Parents of the adolescents described in (3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We show that clinic participants rated a higher willingness to donate specimens versus school participants. Furthermore, clinic participants felt assent was more important and parental consent alone was insufficient. The median suggested age for assent was 14.5 years among adolescent responses and 16 years from parental responses of both groups. School parents were the most conservative in their responses toward their child's participation in a biobank.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adolescents, who were seen in clinics and their parents, had a more altruistic approach toward pediatric biobanking than those surveyed in the school setting. Additionally, parents are less comfortable making decisions regarding biobanking than their adolescent children.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Cynthia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Tamsin E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Tarling
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Division of Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Caron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strahlendorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dittrick
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Division of Hematopathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: svercauteren2@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Vercauteren
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics; D001955:British Columbia; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D033282:Parental Consent / Q000941:ethics; D010290:Parents; D010372:Pediatrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescent; Assent; Biobank; Biospecimen; Clinic; Consent; Opinion; Parent; Pediatric; Reconsent