Biomedical collections
About the surveys
The National Health Measures Study 2022–24 consists of two biomedical surveys:
- the National Health Measures Survey (NHMS) 2022–24
- the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey (NATSIHMS) 2022–24.
Both surveys measured specific biomarkers for chronic disease and nutrition status, by testing blood and urine samples from volunteering participants.
People aged 12 years and over were asked to provide a blood and a urine sample. Children aged 5–11 years were asked to provide a urine sample only.
For more information about the scope of the NHMS 2022–24, see the National Health Measures Survey methodology, 2022–24. Information on NATSIHMS 2022–24 will become available when first results are released.
Biomarkers
A biomarker refers to a measured biomedical characteristic, which may be used to indicate a health risk factor or condition. The biomarkers included in the National Health Measures Study were selected with guidance from a biomedical expert group established by the ABS.
Biomarkers collected in the IHMHS fall into three categories:
- chronic disease biomarkers, including tests for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and liver function
- nutrient biomarkers, including tests for iron, folate, vitamin B12, iodine, vitamin D, sodium and potassium levels
- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are chemical contaminants found in the environment (NHMS only).
Disease prevalence
Estimates of the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease may be derived from a combination of biomedical results and self-reported data from the survey components of the IHMHS.
While self-reported estimates are a valuable data source, they may underestimate the true prevalence of chronic diseases. Biomedical results can be used together with the self-reported data to provide an objective measure of Australia's prevalence of chronic disease and data on the proportion of the population with undiagnosed cases of disease.
Information on chronic disease risk factors, such as diet, physical activity and smoking behaviours, were collected in other components of the IHMHS.
The following table provides an overview of all IHMHS biomedical tests. PFAS tests were conducted in the NHMS component only following consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. More information regarding the biomedical tests can be found in the relevant subsections.
| Group | Biomarker | Age | Test type | Fasting required | Collected in NHMS 2022–24 | Collected in NATSIHMS 2022–24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular disease biomarkers | Total Cholesterol | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes |
| High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol | 12+ | Blood | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Triglycerides | 12+ | Blood | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Diabetes biomarkers | Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) | 12+ | Blood | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Chronic kidney disease biomarkers | Albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) | 5+ | Urine | No | Yes | Yes |
| Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Folate and vitamin B12 | Serum folate | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes |
| Serum vitamin B12 | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Iron biomarkers | Serum ferritin | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes |
| C-reactive Protein (CRP) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Haemoglobin (Hb) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Vitamin D | Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | Yes |
| Urinary ions | Iodine | 5+ | Urine | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sodium | 5+ | Urine | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Potassium | 5+ | Urine | No | Yes | Yes | |
| PFAS | Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No |
| Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| 6:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluoroheptane sulfonic acid (PFHpS) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No | |
| Perfluroroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) | 12+ | Blood | No | Yes | No |
Further information about test type, analyser system, and laboratory reference ranges can be found on the Downloads page.
Ethics
Ethics approval for the NHMS 2022–24 was granted by the Bellberry Human Research Ethics Committee in December 2021. For more information, see the National Health Measures Survey methodology, 2022–24.
The NATSIHMS 2022–24 required ethical approval from the relevant Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Human Research Ethics Committee for the areas where participants were recruited. Further information will become available when first results from NATSIHMS 2022–24 are released.