Social Inequalities

Title: Social inequalities in cardiovascular and metabolic health

Citation. To close gaps in the knowledge, differences must not be ignored, but explicitly appreciated

Goal or mission statement. To provide evidence to support guidelines and targeted interventions to improve the cardiovascular and metabolic health, in particular among socially disadvantaged people.

Research themes. The general focus of this research line lies in unraveling causes of cardiovascular and metabolic health inequalities across subgroups in the population. Gender and sex are central to the research line, but always from an (intersectional) perspective that also considers ethnic background, socio-economic position or other factors such as age or sexual orientation. The line includes observational studies describing the occurrence of inequalities, and observational and intervention studies investigating the environmental, behavioral and metabolic determinants of these inequalities. This will help our understanding how the ‘social’ becomes ‘biological’, i.e. how the way society is organized and the social environments in which we live affects our health. The research line provides evidence to develop, refine and underpin guidelines or interventions aimed at improving cardiovascular and metabolic health, in particular for socially disadvantaged people. It is embedded within the scientific fields of social epidemiology, public health and preventive medicine.

Examples of main research topics are:

1. Gender and sex inequalities in cardiovascular disease across ethnic or socioeconomic groups. For example, the association of gender characteristics (e.g. caretaking duties and occupational segregation) with incidence of cardiovascular disease across ethnic groups, or socioeconomic gradients in incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in men and women.

2. Determinants of inequalities in type 2 diabetes in ethnic minority men and women. For instance, observational studies into the role of muscle strength, circadian disruptions or the fatty acid metabolism.

3. Effectiveness of (behavioral) interventions, e.g. evaluation of a dietary and physical activity intervention to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes among men and women of South Asian origin.