Cardiovascular disease, particularly coronary heart disease (CHD), remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, disproportionately affecting socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is widely established in the literature as a key risk factor for CHD. However, the relationship between risk factors and disease may vary across different socioeconomic status (SES) groups , raising important questions regarding potential variations in biological vulnerability influenced by social determinants of health. Notably, individuals from lower SES backgrounds typically experience increased cardiometabolic risk due to adverse lifestyle behaviours (e.g., unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking), limited healthcare access, and lower use of preventive treatments such as statins. Consequently, the association between LDL cholesterol and CHD in epidemiological studies could partly reflect underlying socioeconomic disparities, rather than purely biological links.
The aim of this project is to evaluate whether SES modifies the relationship between LDL cholesterol and CHD. The objectives of the project are:
1) Test the relationship between LDL cholesterol and CHD in different SES strata.
2) Test the moderating effect of SES in the relationship between LDL and CHD.