Approved Research

Development of a causal model to estimate the effect of lifestyle interventions on 10-year cardiovascular disease risk

Lay summary

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of mortality and sickness worldwide. However,  cardiovascular disease can be prevented by changing to a healthier lifestyle, for example, by stopping smoking, eating healthy food and doing exercise often. Unfortunately, for most people it is difficult to change their lifestyle and keep healthy habits. We believe that if people are informed of their personal risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and how much the risk can be reduced by sticking to a healthier lifestyle, this would help them stay healthy. For that, we want to create a mathematical model that will calculate each person's risk from the UK biobank data. To create this model, we look at different factors that can influence both lifestyle  and the risk of CVD. These factors include things like age, gender, genetics, and socioeconomic status. By considering these factors, we can get a better idea of how lifestyle interventions really affect the risk of developing CVD.