Approved Research

Assessing the impact of early lifestyle and environmental factors on health outcomes using clinical, genetic, and imaging data

Lay summary

This research project aims to develop new and improved methods for assessing the effects of early lifestyle and environmental factors on health outcomes. These factors, such as exposure to toxins, poor nutrition, and stress, can have long-lasting effects on health, but it is difficult to identify the exact impact due to various issues in observational studies.

The project aims to address common problems in observational studies such as participant dropout, measurement errors, and complex data formats. It will develop methods that use the potential outcomes framework to define causal quantities of interest, establish identification assumptions, propose estimation strategies, and evaluate the sensitivity of the results to the assumptions. These methods will provide more accurate and reliable estimates of the causal effects of early life experiences on health outcomes.

The project will provide a better understanding of how early life experiences can affect health outcomes, which can inform public health policies and interventions. The findings from this research can inform policymakers and healthcare practitioners about the long-lasting effects of early life experiences on health outcomes. This information can help develop targeted interventions aimed at improving the health outcomes of individuals who have been exposed to adverse early life experiences.