Cited by 188Health disparities and outcomesHealth, Environment, Cognitive AgingHistorical and modern epidemiology studies

Life course epidemiology and public health

Open access
Wagner, Cornelia, Carmeli, Cristian, Jackisch, Josephine, Kivimäki, Mika, van der Linden, Bernadette W A, Cullati, Stéphane, Chiolero, Arnaud·2024·The Lancet Public Health

Abstract

Life course epidemiology aims to study the effect of exposures on health outcomes across the life course from a social, behavioural, and biological perspective. In this Review, we describe how life course epidemiology changes the way the causes of chronic diseases are understood, with the example of hypertension, breast cancer, and dementia, and how it guides prevention strategies. Life course epidemiology uses complex methods for the analysis of longitudinal, ideally population-based, observational data and takes advantage of new approaches for causal inference. It informs primordial prevention, the prevention of exposure to risk factors, from an eco-social and life course perspective in which health and disease are conceived as the results of complex interactions between biological endowment, health behaviours, social networks, family influences, and socioeconomic conditions across the life course. More broadly, life course epidemiology guides population-based and high-risk prevention strategies for chronic diseases from the prenatal period to old age, contributing to evidence-based and data-informed public health actions. In this Review, we assess the contribution of life course epidemiology to public health and reflect on current and future challenges for this field and its integration into policy making.

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Authors
Wagner, C., Carmeli, C., Jackisch, J., Kivimäki, M., van der Linden, B. W. A., Cullati, S., & Chiolero, A.
Affiliations
University of Fribourg (CH)
Venue
The Lancet Public Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2024-04
Volume
9
Issue
4
Pages
e261-e269
ISSN
2468-2667 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4393246597
Cited by
188
References
94
Citations by year
2026: 102 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 18
FWCI
17.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Lancet Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
  • Open Access CRIS of the University of Bern
Funders
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (208205)
  • Medical Research Council (R024227)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG062553, R01AG056477)
  • Wellcome Trust (221854/Z/20/Z)
  • Research Council of Finland (350426)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Historical and modern epidemiology studies
Keywords
life course epidemiology, chronic disease prevention, primordial prevention, hypertension, breast cancer, dementia, causal inference, social determinants of health, health behavior, socioeconomic conditions, prenatal exposure, public health policy
MeSH terms
Chronic Disease, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Pregnancy, Public Health, Risk Factors, Causality

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