The research, using machine learning, by the LUMC and Salut into long-term changes in self-assessed health has revealed crucial differences between groups of people who felt healthy and unhealthy. The findings of the study are published in Preventive Medicine Reports.
So-called self-rated health is an important predictor of health events. “Since the Dutch often experience their state of health as unchanging, it is not self-evident that the Dutch population will feel much healthier,” says Brian Doornenbal, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the LUMC.
Research into changes in health
For the research between 2009 and 2018, a representative group of the Dutch population reported how healthy they felt. 2154 people participated in the study. More than 85 percent of the participants felt that their good health remained unchanged during that period. The remaining group had a poor health perception for a longer period of time. This was generally associated with more drug use, a higher BMI and unemployment. Factors that are difficult to change.
Investigation public health is one of the social spearheads of the LUMC. “The applied machine learning technique has helped to better compare changes in health and identify subtle – but typical – patterns of change,” said Doornenbal.
Follow-up research with machine learning
In a follow-up study, the researchers will analyze how small changes in lifestyle can influence a person’s health in the long term. The same machine learning technique is used for this. This will be applied to data collected via a health app. In the follow-up study, the researchers will also focus on health changes over shorter periods.
VWS states that by 2040 the Dutch population should be able to live five years longer in good health. In addition, the health differences between the lowest and highest socio-economic groups in the Netherlands must also be reduced by 30 percent. A very challenging target that according to the researchers will be difficult to achieve. Especially given the increasing number of patients with chronic conditions, the aging population and the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
