Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most common causes of death and disability globally. In Australia, one in four deaths are attributed to CVD and it has the second highest healthcare expenditure by disease group. 

The impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on CVD burden is well documented where those with the lowest levels of education have the highest rates of CVD. Remoteness is a measure of access to services, including health services and is correlated with SES. Although less well studied than the SES-CVD relationship, national statistics suggest that higher CVD burden may exist in more remote areas of Australia. Few longitudinal analyses have examined the relationship between remoteness and CVD incidence in Australia and it is not clear whether SES may confound or modify any relationship between remoteness and CVD.  This study aims to investigate whether there is an association between remoteness and CVD incidence and how this relationship varies by education. 

A longitudinal analysis was be completed using data from the 45 and Up Study linked to other health databases relating to hospitalisation admission and death data. Cox proportional hazard regression modelling was used to quantify the association between remoteness and CVD incidence. Separate models including education as a confounder and stratification by it to observe potential effect modification were also completed. I will present the findings from this longitudinal analysis and potential implications.

About Daniel

Daniel is a an RSPH Honours student interested in chronic diseases and ageing populations,  supervised by Ellie Paige and Rosemary Korda.

He spent 4.5 great years in Canberra but is now based in Sydney. He is currently working at a tech company that is disrupting the aged-care and disability services space - it's been a great counterbalance experiencing public health through academic and commercial lenses.