Selection Mechanisms and Their Consequences: Understanding and Addressing Selection Bias
AbstractPurpose of ReviewEpidemiologic research is rarely based on a random sample of a well-defined target population. We used causal directed acyclic graphs to demonstrate the types of bias that can result when selection into that sample is associated with the exposure or outcome of interest, or with both. These selection mechanisms can affect both the internal and external validity of a study. We reviewed approaches to selection mechanisms that affect valid causal inference.Recent FindingsWe noted that selection bias can refer to a number of issues with different consequences. We identified strategies for addressing sel...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - August 8, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Causal Inference in the Face of Competing Events
AbstractPurpose of ReviewEpidemiologists frequently must handle competing events, which prevent the event of interest from occurring. We review considerations for handling competing events when interpreting results causally.Recent FindingsWhen interpreting statistical associations as causal effects, we recommend following a causal inference “roadmap” as one would in an analysis without competing events. There are, however, special considerations to be made for competing events when choosing the causal estimand that best answers the question of interest, selecting the statistical estimand (e.g., the cause-specific or su...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - July 11, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Biological Consequences of Psychological Distress in Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and its Potential Relevance to Other Chronic Diseases Including Cancer
AbstractPurpose of ReviewCaregivers of children with a chronic illness are a neglected group in medical research and patient care, and are frequently confronted with chronic psychological distress. The biological consequences of this chronic distress are unclear but highly relevant, as these caregivers have a lifelong task in caring for their child. In this review, the authors specifically describe caregiver distress related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the review may be relevant to other chronic diseases, including cancer.Recent FindingsEpidemiological evidence illustrates the increased mortality risk in caregiv...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - July 3, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Reducing Breast Cancer Risk Across Generations Through Family-Based Interventions
AbstractPurpose of ReviewMulti-level interventions that address risk during key windows of susceptibility (WOS) and consider both population-wide and targeted interventions within families are needed for breast cancer. This review provides an overview of current family-based interventions for breast cancer risk reduction and outlines recommendations for future family-based interventions.Recent FindingsFew studies have taken a family-based approach for reducing breast cancer risk across generations except for the Daughters and Mothers Against Breast Cancer trial, a weight loss intervention for postmenopausal survivors and t...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - July 2, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Target Validity: Bringing Treatment of External Validity in Line with Internal Validity
AbstractPurpose of Review“Target bias” is the difference between an estimate of association from a study sample and the causal effect in the target population of interest. It is the sum of internal and external bias. Given the extensive literature on internal validity, here, we review threats and methods to improve exte rnal validity.Recent FindingsExternal bias may arise when the distribution of modifiers of the effect of treatment differs between the study sample and the target population. Methods including those based on modeling the outcome, modeling sample membership, and doubly robust methods are available, assum...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - June 29, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
The Use of Genetic Correlation and Mendelian Randomization Studies to Increase Our Understanding of Relationships between Complex Traits
AbstractPurpose of the ReviewIncreasing access to large-scale genetic datasets in population-based studies allows for genetic association studies as a means to examine previously known and novel relationships among complex traits. In this review, we discuss two widely used approaches to leverage genetic data to study the links between traits: Genome-wide genetic correlation and Mendelian Randomization (MR) studies.Recent FindingsBoth genetic correlation and MR studies have provided important novel insights. However, although they are less sensitive to many sources of bias present in traditional, observational epidemiology,...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - May 15, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs for Cancer Survivors: a Scoping Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewParticipation in cardiac rehabilitation is associated with improved quality of life and physical functioning and may be an effective strategy to assist in the recovery from cancer. We conducted a scoping review to identify studies that enrolled cancer survivors into cardiac rehabilitation programs.Recent FindingsWe identified nine studies that included 662 cancer survivors. Five studies integrated cancer survivors and cardiac patients into the same sessions, three studies developed cancer-only rehabilitation sessions, and one study did not report details on the rehabilitation sessions. On average, ...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - May 7, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Advances in Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Health Disparities in Aging Minorities
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe purpose was to discuss appropriate methods for advancing our understanding of health disparities or minority aging including life-course perspectives, biological measures, pain measurement, and generational approaches.Recent FindingsLife course perspectives provide an orientation for studying older minorities that concomitantly captures exposures and stressors that may lead to earlier onset of disease and premature mortality. The use of biological markers to study health disparities in older minorities is necessary in order to identify pathways between psychosocial factors and health outcomes. ...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - April 28, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Factors to Consider in Developing Breast Cancer Risk Models to Implement into Clinical Care
This article outlines considerations for individuals interested in developing and implementing breast cancer risk models and has relevance for individuals developing risk models with the goal of implementing them into health systems.Recent FindingsThere has been increased focus on developing risk models for clinical use —often with less attention to model implementation. Epidemiologists developing risk models must think through model outcomes including stakeholder needs; time horizons; terminology and reference groups; and clarity on what actionable steps are for health systems, providers, and patients following its impl...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - April 28, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Barriers and Recommendations for Developing a Data Commons for the Implementation and Application of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Risk Scoring in the Philippines
AbstractPurpose of ReviewCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes are the primary causes of death in the Philippines. This manuscript reviewed previous studies on the use of predictive analytics for CVD and diabetes risk scoring. This paper also discussed barriers and strategies on how to access/generate available data sets for CVDs and diabetes in the country.Recent FindingsCVD and diabetes risk scoring requires the availability of data sets related to such diseases. Although the Philippines has taken strides to implement the Philippine National eHealth solution, such a program does not include strategies toward the us...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Trends in the public health significance, definitions of disease, and implications for prevention of Alzheimer ’s disease
This article summarizes how the conceptualization of AD has evolved in response to research advances. Current challenges including the imp act of multimorbidity are outlined, and potential targets for prevention are discussed.Recent FindingsThe ability to study AD neuropathology in vivo and results from longitudinal epidemiologic studies have led to a consensus that AD has a long preclinical course spanning decades. This view is driving efforts to identify early markers that will identify individuals at risk for AD dementia.SummaryCritical questions remain regarding the pathological mechanisms underlying AD and their relat...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - April 24, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Feasible but Not Yet Efficacious: a Scoping Review of Wearable Activity Monitors in Interventions Targeting Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review explored the characteristics of interventions that use wearable activity monitors (WAM) and descriptively summarize their efficacy.Recent FindingsA total of 61 studies were included. Most of the WAM-based interventions (n = 58) were designed to improve physical activity (PA). Interventions targeting sedentary behavior (SB) were much less common (n = 12), and even less frequent were WAM-based sleep interventions (n = 3). Most studies tested the feasibility of WAM-based interventions. WAM-based interventions exhibited preliminary efficacy in increasing PA and potential in decr...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - January 27, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Pain and Multimorbidity in Late Life
This article addressed pain prevalence in older adults and the relationship between pain and multimorbidity. Risk factors and consequences of pain and multimorbidity were identified and recommendations for future research were provided. (Source: Current Epidemiology Reports)
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - January 22, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Anxious Generation: a Review of the Relationship Between Anxiety Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease in Youth
AbstractPurpose of ReviewRising rates of youth anxiety may adversely affect later cardiovascular health (CVH); thus, this is an area of research that could be lacking.Recent FindingsAnxiety disorders and poor CVH have been linked in adults by way of negative effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and mortality. Anxiety disorders have also been linked to risky lifestyle and behavioral choices like adiposity, physical inactivity, substance abuse, and poor diet.SummaryThis paper explores CVD risk factors and diseases in relation to anxiety disorders and traits specifically in youth by exploring CVD diagnoses and...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - January 16, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Living Kidney Donors: Knowns and Unknowns
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review aimed to summarize evidence regarding mid- and long-term cardiovascular risks associated with living kidney donation in adults.Recent FindingsChronic kidney disease is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is known that glomerular filtration rate declines among many donors after donation; as a result, these donors can be classified as having early stage chronic kidney disease. Even though initial reports suggested no increase in adverse cardiovascular effects compared with control populations, recent data have shown a possible late increase in cardiovascular event rates and...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - January 13, 2020 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
