Sex-specific socioeconomic pathways to cardiovascular disease risk across the life course

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in both females and males globally. The primary causes of CVD are firmly established but CVD prevention remains challenging. Much of what we know about CVD and how we go about preventing it today is based on research in males. Consequently, studies of the sex-specific aetiology of CVD have been identified as an area of unlocked potential for future CVD prevention.

Socioeconomic inequalities in CVD are well established and are known to disproportionately affect females compared with males. They are also projected to widen further due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tackling socioeconomic inequalities in CVD remains a global challenge and requires a life course approach. However, we still have limited understanding of what stage(s) in life course socioeconomic position most strongly influences CVD risk. In addition, we also have limited understanding of how lower socioeconomic position leads to CVD. Greater understanding of pathways linking socioeconomic position and CVD across life can identify targets for future prevention strategies to reduce socioeconomic inequalities and ultimately reduce the burden of CVD in the population.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of SocialPaths is to improve understanding of the sex-specific socioeconomic pathways that lead to CVD risk across a person’s life in a world-leading study that follows participants from birth to adulthood.

Specifically, SocialPaths will:

• identify what stage(s) of the life course socioeconomic position most strongly influences sex-specific CVD risk
• identify pathways that link socioeconomic position to sex-specific CVD risk
• design hypothetical, real-world interventions to prevent socioeconomic inequalities in sex-specific CVD risk.

Methodology

SocialPaths will analyse rich longitudinal data from a world-leading UK birth cohort study with 31 years of follow up, to improve understanding of sex-specific socioeconomic pathways to CVD risk using a combination of life course epidemiology and advanced causal inference methods including causal mediation approaches.

Funder and Dates

SocialPaths is funded by a Health Research Board Investigator-led Project Award and will run from 2023 until 2026.

Project Team

Dr Linda O’Keeffe (PI, School of Public Health, UCC), Dr Kate O’Neill (Co-PI, School of Public Health, UCC), Prof Patricia Kearney (Co-PI, School of Public Health, UCC), Dr Cathal McCrory (Co-PI, Trinity College Dublin), Prof George Davey Smith (Co-PI, University of Bristol), Prof Rebecca Hardy (Co-PI, University College London), Prof Laura Howe (Co-PI, University of Bristol).