Ongoing calls for a more integrativ

Ongoing calls for a more integrative, multi-method, multilevel interdisciplinary approach to research on human development, health, and social inequality underscore the importance and potential contribution of a biosocial perspective (Council 2001a; 2001b; Halfon & Hochstein 2002; Harris 2010; Weinstein, Vaupel & Wachter 2007). The recent expansion of methodological options for collecting biological samples in non-clinical settings has facilitated this effort, and innovative biological measures are increasingly being incorporated into social science research designs and data collection efforts. A new generation of biosocial research is poised to bridge the gap between community- and clinic-based approaches to understanding the dynamic interplay of biology and social context across the life course.