Publications

These publications are examples of research made possible with data from CanPath and its regional cohorts.

2022

Personalized breast cancer onset prediction from lifestyle and health history information

Authors: Shi-Ang Qi, Neeraj Kumar, Jian-Yi Xu, Jaykumar Patel, Sambasivarao Damaraju, Grace Shen-Tu, Russell Greiner

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.

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2022

Patterns and predictors of adherence to breast cancer screening recommendations in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Olivia K Loewen, Navjot Sandila, Grace Shen-Tu, Jennifer E Vena, Huiming Yang, Kara Patterson, Jian-Yi Xu

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.

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2022

Association of dairy consumption patterns with the incidence of type 2 diabetes: Findings from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Emad Yuzbashian, Mohammadreza Pakseresht, Jennifer Vena, Catherine B Chan

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.

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2022

Development and validation of a hypertension risk prediction model and construction of a risk score in a Canadian population

Authors: Mohammad Ziaul Islam Chowdhury, Alexander A Leung, Khokan C Sikdar, Maeve O'Beirne, Hude Quan, Tanvir C Turin

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.

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2022

Associations between neighbourhood street connectivity and sedentary behaviours in Canadian adults: Findings from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Vikram Nichani, Mohammad Javad Koohsari, Koichiro Oka, Tomoki Nakaya, Ai Shibata, Kaori Ishii, Akitomo Yasunaga, Jennifer E Vena, Gavin R McCormack

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.

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2022

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the built environment and walking: effect modification by socioeconomic status

Authors: Chelsea D Christie, Christine M Friedenreich, Jennifer E Vena, Liam Turley, Gavin R McCormack

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.

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2022

Anti-Hyperglycemic Medication Adherence and Health Services Utilization in People with Diabetes: A Longitudinal Study of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Ming Ye, Jennifer E Vena, Jeffrey A Johnson, Grace Shen-Tu, Dean T Eurich

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.

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2022

A dietary carbohydrate – gut Parasutterella – human fatty acid biosynthesis metabolic axis in obesity and type 2 diabetes

Authors: Lea Henneke, Kristina Schlicht, Nadia A. Andreani, Tim Hollstein, Tobias Demetrowitsch, Carina Knappe, Katharina Hartmann, Julia Jensen-Kroll, Nathalie Rohmann, Daniela Pohlschneider, Corinna Geisler, Dominik M. Schulte, Ute Settgast, Kathrin Türk, Johannes Zimmermann, Christoph Kaleta, John F. Baines, Jane Shearer, Shrushti Shah, Grace Shen-Tu, Karin Schwarz, Andre Franke, Stefan Schreiber, Matthias Laudes

This study aimed to characterize Parasutterella, a gut bacteria, in a European cohort. 438 participants from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project were included to validate the results of this study. Researchers found that this bacteria have a role in type 2 diabetes and obesity.

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2022

Health-Related and Behavioral Factors Associated With Lung Cancer Stage at Diagnosis: Observations From Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Michelle L. Aktary, Monica Ghebrial, Qinggang Wang, Lorraine Shack, Paula J. Robson, Karen A. Kopciuk

This study examined sociodemographic characteristics and health-related factors and their associations with subsequent lung cancer stage at diagnosis. Using data from 221 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants, researchers found that a history of sunburn in the past year and more prostate-specific antigen tests were protective against late-stage lung cancer diagnosis, whereas physical activity increased late-stage cancer diagnosis odds.

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2022

Pre-diagnosis lifestyle, health history and psychosocial factors associated with stage at breast cancer diagnosis – Potential targets to shift stage earlier

Authors: Qinggang Wang, Michelle L. Aktary, John J. Spinelli, Lorraine Shack, Paula J.Robson, Karen A. Kopciuk

This study aimed to examine associations between risk factors for breast cancer diagnosis, prior to and and at diagnosis. Some protective factors include older age at diagnosis, high household income, parity, smoking, spending time in the sun (high ultraviolet), having a mammogram, and high daily protein intake. Factors that increase risk of later stage at diagnosis include comorbidities, stressful situations, and high daily caloric intake.

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