The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences Advance Access originally published online on February 9, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 2009 64B(Supplement 1):i94-i105; doi:10.1093/geronb/gbn028
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salivary Sex Hormone Measurement in a National, Population-Based Study of Older Adults
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Chicago, Illinois
2 Center on Demography and Economics of Aging Core on Biomarkers in Population-Based Health and Aging Research, NORC (note NORC no longer goes by National Opinion Research Center), and the University of Chicago, Illinois
3 Department of Medicine–Geriatrics, University of Chicago, Illinois
Address correspondence to Natalia Gavrilova, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC2050, Chicago, IL 60637. Email: ngavrilova{at}babies.bsd.uchicago.edu
 |
Abstract |
|---|
Objectives: To describe the methods used for, correlates of cooperation with, and validity of in-home salivary specimens collected from older adults.
Methods: Salivary specimens were collected between 2005 and 2006 during in-home interviews with a probability sample of 3,005 U.S. men and women, ages 57–85 years. Sex hormone levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunoassay conducted at Salimetrics, LLC (State College, PA). Mean salivary sex hormone concentrations were compared by gender and in relation to medication use and health conditions.
Results: Self-collected saliva specimens were provided by 2,722 (90.6%) individuals; 95.8% of these were adequate for analysis. Black participants were significantly less likely than individuals of other racial/ethnic groups to provide a salivary specimen; age, gender, education, and self-rated health were not associated with participation. Mean testosterone levels were higher in men compared with women, and estradiol levels were higher in women using estrogens. Salivary hormone measurements obtained in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) and other studies are of similar magnitude.
Conclusion: NSHAP is the first large, population-based study of older adults to measure salivary estradiol, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and, in women, testosterone. These data demonstrate a high cooperation rate with in-home salivary specimen collection from older adults and good validity of sex hormone measurements.
Key Words: Sex hormone • Aging • Salivary • Saliva collection • Estrogen • Testosterone • Progesterone • DHEA • Estradiol • Older • Validity
Received July 29, 2008; Accepted November 4, 2008