Approved Research

Systematic evaluation of factors associated with physical, mental and social well-being

Sun Yat-Sen University

Lay summary

The World Health Organization (WHO) established the definition of health as a state of physical, mental and social well-being several decades ago. Many studies have examined determinants of these dimensions of health individually, but little empirical research has operationalized them as a triaxial concept. We seek to identify key factors associated simultaneously with physical, mental and social well-being, according to the WHO definition, in this longitudinal, multivariate environment-wide association study (EWAS). This agnostic approach evaluating all available associations, irrespective of prior knowledge, is particularly relevant here given the lack of theoretical models.

Project duration: three years

Public health impact: The determinants found in this study, if verified to be causal, could be prioritized as intervention targets to holistically improve population health.

Scope extension:

The overarching goal of our paper is to identify, if any, factors that prospectively and simultaneously predict physical, mental and social well-being. We aim to utilize a high-dimensional strategy, i.e. environment-wide association study (EWAS), as well as multivariate (i.e. multiple outcomes) mixed effects model to systematically evaluate the associations of multiple health and lifestyle related factors with physical, mental and social well-being in a general population.

We use additional analyses including COX proportional hazard models and machine learning methods to systematically evaluate the associations and interactions of multiple genetic, health and lifestyle related, and environmental factors with physical, mental and social well-being in a general population. Interaction analyses and mediation analyses may be needed when we further investigate those associations. We also aim to investigate the gene-environment and gene-behavioral interactions and correlations to the onset and course of physical and mental disorders.