A Bayesian Functional Approach to Test Models of Life Course Epidemiology Over Continuous Time

Citation

Bodelet, Julien; Potente, Cecilia; Blanc, Guillaume; Chumbley, Justin; Imeri, Hira; Hofer, Scott; Harris, Kathleen Mullan; Muniz-Terrera, Graciela; & Shanahan, Michael (2024). A Bayesian Functional Approach to Test Models of Life Course Epidemiology Over Continuous Time. International Journal of Epidemiology, 53(1), dyad190. PMCID: PMC10859158

Abstract

Life course epidemiology examines associations between repeated measures of risk and health outcomes across different phases of life. Empirical research, however, is often based on discrete-time models that assume that sporadic measurement occasions fully capture underlying long-term continuous processes of risk.We propose (i) the functional relevant life course model (fRLM), which treats repeated, discrete measures of risk as unobserved continuous processes, and (ii) a testing procedure to assign probabilities that the data correspond to conceptual models of life course epidemiology (critical period, sensitive period and accumulation models). The performance of the fRLM is evaluated with simulations, and the approach is illustrated with empirical applications relating body mass index (BMI) to mRNA-seq signatures of chronic kidney disease, inflammation and breast cancer.Simulations reveal that fRLM identifies the correct life course model with three to five repeated assessments of risk and 400 subjects. The empirical examples reveal that chronic kidney disease reflects a critical period process and inflammation and breast cancer likely reflect sensitive period mechanisms.The proposed fRLM treats repeated measures of risk as continuous processes and, under realistic data scenarios, the method provides accurate probabilities that the data correspond to commonly studied models of life course epidemiology. fRLM is implemented with publicly-available software.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad190

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2024

Journal Title

International Journal of Epidemiology

Author(s)

Bodelet, Julien
Potente, Cecilia
Blanc, Guillaume
Chumbley, Justin
Imeri, Hira
Hofer, Scott
Harris, Kathleen Mullan
Muniz-Terrera, Graciela
Shanahan, Michael

Article Type

Regular

PMCID

PMC10859158

Data Set/Study

National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)

Continent/Country

United States

State

Nonspecific

ORCiD

Harris, KM - 0000-0001-9757-1026