Research team
Expertise
My research expertise lies in epidemiology and public health, with a strong focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular diseases and cancer. I investigate the identification of risk factors, health inequalities, and the burden of disease across different populations and settings. In addition, I have developed strong expertise in environmental epidemiology, including the analysis and interpretation of human biomonitoring (HBM) data. My work focuses on assessing population exposure to environmental pollutants, understanding their health effects, and contributing to harmonised approaches for exposure assessment across studies and countries. My research includes the design, implementation, and evaluation of preventive interventions, particularly community-based strategies aimed at improving health behaviours such as physical activity, diet, and disease awareness. I also contribute to evidence generation to inform policy and public health practice at national and international levels. Furthermore, I have extensive experience in developing and validating measurement tools, including questionnaires to assess health knowledge, risk perception, and behavioural outcomes. My research also covers prediction modelling and outcome measurement, as well as the application and advancement of epidemiological and statistical methods. I work in multidisciplinary and international research environments, contributing to large-scale projects on environmental exposures, chronic disease prevention, and global health, including collaborations in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
Verschillen in hart- en vaatziekten en risicofactoren in verschillende contexten en effectiviteit van een multi-component interventie om primaire preventie te verbeteren.
Abstract
Despite advancement in technology and healthcare systems, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading causes of mortality worldwide. In Europe, CVDs cause more deaths than any other condition. Recently, mortality due to CVDs is rising in low- and middle-income countries as well. Enormous inequality exists in CVD morbidity and mortality across contexts and socioeconomic gradients, indicating people with low socioeconomic status are more vulnerable. Thus, identification of most vulnerable groups, and development and implementation of contextualized intervention is crucial to halt the continuing disparities and to decrease the overall burden globally. There is loads of literature on the risk factors and what should be done to prevent CVDs, but little is known regarding how to translate these findings from their controlled and academic setting to real-life context. Passive dissemination of guidelines alone is ineffective and results in subtle changes. Further implementation research is needed to identify high risk segments of the population and to develop and test various intervention approaches in different contexts. Thus, this project aimed to investigate socioeconomic disparities in terms of CVD and risk factors, and to evaluate implementation and effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention package in various contexts of Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Bastiaens Hilde
- Fellow: Hassen Hamid
Research team(s)
Funding
- BOF
Project type(s)
- Research Project