Cardiovascular prevention

Citation. Prevention is better than cure, but if we really want that to be true we need to do a better job

Goal or mission statement. To strengthen the scientific basis for cardiovascular risk management for ethnic minority populations.

Research themes. Cardiovascular disease risk prediction modelling Ethnic minority groups in the Western world appear to be at a greater estimated risk of fatal plus non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Nevertheless, little is still known on ethnic disparities between various immigrant populations of non-Western origin. Therefore, it is unknown which ethnic groups are at highest risk for CVD when all CVD risk factors are considered together. This is important to determine for which minority populations preventive interventions may be most warranted. Over the coming years, I aim to adapt existing risk prediction models for ethnic minority groups using data from the HELIUS (Healthy Life in an Urban Setting) study and other multi-ethnic cohort databases in Western societies.

Lifestyle behaviour change Research on the effectiveness of preventive interventions among ethnic minority populations is scarce. Previous studies among Ghanaian and Surinamese migrants in Amsterdam demonstrated that culturally appropriate patient education intervention on blood pressure had beneficial effects on blood pressure and engagement in lifestyle behaviour change. For the ethnic minority groups within the HELIUS study (individuals of African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese, Ghanaian, Turkish and Moroccan origin), I will further explore how increased focus on the ethnic-specific context may yield new insights with which preventive strategies can be further tested and improved. This also applies to innovative technologies for cardiovascular self-management that have thus far hardly been studied in ethnic minority groups. Especially these populations, which generally have more limited access to health care, could potentially benefit from culturally adapted technologies to improve engagement in lifestyle behavioural support programs and other interventions directed at improving CVD risk reduction, which can be made available at relatively low costs and on a large scale.