Our project combines computer science and public health expertise to explore and enhance health risk prediction models using data from the UK Biobank. We aim to understand better the complex relationships between lifestyle choices, environmental factors, and other variables and how they impact health outcomes such as mortality, diseases, hospital visits, and cardiovascular events. Traditional health risk assessments often look at isolated factors without fully accounting for how these factors interact. Our approach seeks to fill this gap by analysing the interconnections among various health risk factors, thus improving our ability to estimate their combined effects on individual and population health.
Concurrently, we are investigating the effectiveness of a gamified digital health intervention through a separate, ongoing Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). This trial examines how gamification, implemented via the YuLife mobile health app, can motivate users to adopt healthier behaviours. The insights gained from the UK Biobank will complement the findings from the trial, enabling us to assess how lifestyle modifications influenced by gamification impact significant health outcomes. Our research aims to identify the risk factors most responsive to gamified digital interventions and predict the long-term impact of these interventions on health. This is particularly relevant in today’s world, where lifestyle-related chronic diseases are becoming more common. By combining the comprehensive biomedical data of the UK Biobank with the practical interventions tested in the YuLife app, we hope to establish a solid scientific basis for developing engaging, effective, and personalised public health strategies. The ultimate goal of our two-year project is to develop actionable, evidence-based recommendations that can be used by health practitioners, policymakers, and individuals to reduce health risks and enhance quality of life. These recommendations will focus on identifying and implementing effective and accessible digital health intervention strategies.
