Using Digital Data to Predict Cardiovascular Health and Health Care Utilization

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US. While secondary prevention approaches have improved longevity of patients, risk factors and adverse health behaviors (e.g., physical inactivity, smoking) are highly prevalent, and in most contemporary series, less than 1% of adults meet all factors of ideal CV health. The logistics and practicalities of meeting the goal of ideal CV health have not been clearly elucidated. Practice guidelines recommend using the Framingham risk score (FRS) or other risk prediction tools to classify patients' risk of CV disease. These models however are imprecise and there is increasing focus on identifying markers that provide better measures of risk. As digital platforms are increasingly used to document lifestyle and health behaviors, data from digital sources may provide a window into manifestations of novel risk factors and potentially a better characterization of existing risk factors. While it seems like a cliche to mention the profound impact of digital data on everyday lives, there is indeed great substance in the opportunities these new media provide for understanding behavioral, social, and environmental determinants of health. This project seeks to identify and characterize features derived from digital data (e.g. social media, online search, mobile media) which are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and related risk factors, and develop models that use digital data and conventional predictive models to predict CHD risk and health care utilization.