An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course research
Abstract Life course epidemiology seeks to understand the intricate relationships between risk factors and health outcomes across different stages of life to inform prevention and intervention strategies to optimize health throughout the lifespan. However, extant evidence has predominantly been base...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Springer
2023-07-01
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Series: | Discover Social Science and Health |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-023-00044-2 |
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author | Sascha Zuber Laura Bechtiger Julien Stéphane Bodelet Marta Golin Jens Heumann Jung Hyun Kim Matthias Klee Jure Mur Jennie Noll Stacey Voll Patrick O’Keefe Annekatrin Steinhoff Ulf Zölitz Graciela Muniz-Terrera Lilly Shanahan Michael J. Shanahan Scott M. Hofer |
author_facet | Sascha Zuber Laura Bechtiger Julien Stéphane Bodelet Marta Golin Jens Heumann Jung Hyun Kim Matthias Klee Jure Mur Jennie Noll Stacey Voll Patrick O’Keefe Annekatrin Steinhoff Ulf Zölitz Graciela Muniz-Terrera Lilly Shanahan Michael J. Shanahan Scott M. Hofer |
author_sort | Sascha Zuber |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract Life course epidemiology seeks to understand the intricate relationships between risk factors and health outcomes across different stages of life to inform prevention and intervention strategies to optimize health throughout the lifespan. However, extant evidence has predominantly been based on separate analyses of data from individual birth cohorts or panel studies, which may not be sufficient to unravel the complex interplay of risk and health across different contexts. We highlight the importance of a multi-study perspective that enables researchers to: (a) Compare and contrast findings from different contexts and populations, which can help identify generalizable patterns and context-specific factors; (b) Examine the robustness of associations and the potential for effect modification by factors such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status; and (c) Improve statistical power and precision by pooling data from multiple studies, thereby allowing for the investigation of rare exposures and outcomes. This integrative framework combines the advantages of multi-study data with a life course perspective to guide research in understanding life course risk and resilience on adult health outcomes by: (a) Encouraging the use of harmonized measures across studies to facilitate comparisons and synthesis of findings; (b) Promoting the adoption of advanced analytical techniques that can accommodate the complexities of multi-study, longitudinal data; and (c) Fostering collaboration between researchers, data repositories, and funding agencies to support the integration of longitudinal data from diverse sources. An integrative approach can help inform the development of individualized risk scores and personalized interventions to promote health and well-being at various life stages. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:13:25Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-effe0edd1d704946b0be37b680fa378c |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2731-0469 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:13:25Z |
publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
publisher | Springer |
record_format | Article |
series | Discover Social Science and Health |
spelling | doaj.art-effe0edd1d704946b0be37b680fa378c2023-07-23T11:27:01ZengSpringerDiscover Social Science and Health2731-04692023-07-013112010.1007/s44155-023-00044-2An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course researchSascha Zuber0Laura Bechtiger1Julien Stéphane Bodelet2Marta Golin3Jens Heumann4Jung Hyun Kim5Matthias Klee6Jure Mur7Jennie Noll8Stacey Voll9Patrick O’Keefe10Annekatrin Steinhoff11Ulf Zölitz12Graciela Muniz-Terrera13Lilly Shanahan14Michael J. Shanahan15Scott M. Hofer16Institute On Aging & Lifelong Health, University of VictoriaJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichUniversity of LuxembourgUniversity of LuxembourgUniversity of EdinburghPennsylvania State UniversityInstitute On Aging & Lifelong Health, University of VictoriaDepartment of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science UniversityJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichOhio UniversityJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of ZürichInstitute On Aging & Lifelong Health, University of VictoriaAbstract Life course epidemiology seeks to understand the intricate relationships between risk factors and health outcomes across different stages of life to inform prevention and intervention strategies to optimize health throughout the lifespan. However, extant evidence has predominantly been based on separate analyses of data from individual birth cohorts or panel studies, which may not be sufficient to unravel the complex interplay of risk and health across different contexts. We highlight the importance of a multi-study perspective that enables researchers to: (a) Compare and contrast findings from different contexts and populations, which can help identify generalizable patterns and context-specific factors; (b) Examine the robustness of associations and the potential for effect modification by factors such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status; and (c) Improve statistical power and precision by pooling data from multiple studies, thereby allowing for the investigation of rare exposures and outcomes. This integrative framework combines the advantages of multi-study data with a life course perspective to guide research in understanding life course risk and resilience on adult health outcomes by: (a) Encouraging the use of harmonized measures across studies to facilitate comparisons and synthesis of findings; (b) Promoting the adoption of advanced analytical techniques that can accommodate the complexities of multi-study, longitudinal data; and (c) Fostering collaboration between researchers, data repositories, and funding agencies to support the integration of longitudinal data from diverse sources. An integrative approach can help inform the development of individualized risk scores and personalized interventions to promote health and well-being at various life stages.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-023-00044-2Risk factorsHealthLife courseEpidemiologyIntegrative data analysisData harmonization |
spellingShingle | Sascha Zuber Laura Bechtiger Julien Stéphane Bodelet Marta Golin Jens Heumann Jung Hyun Kim Matthias Klee Jure Mur Jennie Noll Stacey Voll Patrick O’Keefe Annekatrin Steinhoff Ulf Zölitz Graciela Muniz-Terrera Lilly Shanahan Michael J. Shanahan Scott M. Hofer An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course research Discover Social Science and Health Risk factors Health Life course Epidemiology Integrative data analysis Data harmonization |
title | An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course research |
title_full | An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course research |
title_fullStr | An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course research |
title_full_unstemmed | An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course research |
title_short | An integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course: challenges, innovations, and opportunities for life course research |
title_sort | integrative approach for the analysis of risk and health across the life course challenges innovations and opportunities for life course research |
topic | Risk factors Health Life course Epidemiology Integrative data analysis Data harmonization |
url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-023-00044-2 |
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