Associations between neighborhood walkability and walking following residential relocation: Findings from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
This study aimed to estimate whether changes in neighbourhood walkability resulting from residential relocation were associated with leisure, transportation, and total walking levels. Using data from 5,977 urban adults (non-movers, movers to less walkability, and movers to more walkability), researchers found that time spent walking at follow-up was lower among those who moved to less walkable neighbourhoods, suggesting that relocating to less walkable neighbourhoods could negatively affect health.
Personalized breast cancer onset prediction from lifestyle and health history information
This article proposes a method for predicting when a woman will develop breast cancer (Bca) based on health and lifestyle history using data from 18,288 women in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. Their approach produced seven actionable lifestyle features that a woman can modify to show how the model can predict the effects of such changes. This method can be used to identify interventions for those with a greater likelihood of developing BCa.
Patterns and predictors of adherence to breast cancer screening recommendations in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
This study examined screening patterns in almost 5,000 women in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. Most participants were up-to-date with screening at enrollment and follow-up, but 21.6% were not up-to-date at follow-up, and 3.2% had never participated. Having a family doctor was the strongest predictor of regular screening, while current smokers were less likely to be regular screeners. The study highlights the importance of promoting awareness of screening recommendations and the role of family doctors in encouraging screening.
Association of dairy consumption patterns with the incidence of type 2 diabetes: Findings from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
Researchers investigated the relationship between dairy consumption and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) with data from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project (ATP). 15,016 women and 8,615 men completed a food-frequency questionnaire and were followed up over time to determine T2D incidence. They found that higher consumption of whole milk, regular cheese, and non-fat milk was associated with decreased risk of incident T2D only in men. The study suggests that combining different dairy products might be good for men’s health.
Harnessing the power of data linkage to enrich the cancer research ecosystem in Canada
This abstract discusses a project aimed at linking cancer registry and administrative health data to Canada’s largest population health study, the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath). The project seeks to enrich the cancer research ecosystem in Canada by providing researchers with a comprehensive dataset that includes genetics, environment, lifestyle, and behaviour data. The linked data will be made available through a cloud-based solution called the CanPath Data Safe Haven, which is accessible to researchers through secure access. The project will address concerns related to the accessibility of cancer data in Canada, bring more value to existing data, and support an enhanced understanding of the impacts of cancer on marginalized populations.
Development and validation of a hypertension risk prediction model and construction of a risk score in a Canadian population
This study evaluates different machine learning algorithms and compares their predictive performance with conventional models to predict hypertension incidence using data from 18,322 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants. The study found little difference in predictive performance between the machine learning algorithms and the conventional Cox PH model. The results suggest that conventional regression-based models can perform similarly to machine learning algorithms with good predictive accuracy in a moderate dataset with a reasonable number of features.
Associations between neighbourhood street connectivity and sedentary behaviours in Canadian adults: Findings from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
Researchers aimed to estimate associations between street connectivity, based on space syntax-derived street integration, and sedentary behaviours. Using data from 14,758 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants, they found that connectivity was positively related to various measures of sitting time and negatively associated with motor vehicle travel time.
Developing a Socioeconomic Status Index for Chronic Disease Prevention Research in Canada
Researchers developed a socioeconomic status (SES) index and assessed its associations with smoking amongst 17,371 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants. They found that their index was negatively related to smoking intensity.
Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the built environment and walking: effect modification by socioeconomic status
Using data from 703 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants, researchers found that changes to the built environment are not associated with changes in walking amongst adults after relocation. They also had weak findings that changes in walkability due to relocation may more strongly affect walking for adults with lower socioeconomic status.
Anti-Hyperglycemic Medication Adherence and Health Services Utilization in People with Diabetes: A Longitudinal Study of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
This study aimed to describe how time-varying anti-hyperglycemic medication adherence relates to healthcare utilization for those with diabetes. Using data from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants, researchers found that poor drug adherence related to higher healthcare utilization in the short term but less over the long term.