WG4
WG 4 Leaders:
Prof Eco De Geus, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
eco.de.geus@vu.nl
Dr Hidde Van der Ploeg, VU University Medical Center, Netherlands
hp.vanderploeg@amsterdamumc.nl
European Harmonisation of Data Collection
Objective
To establish harmonisation of European cross-sectional and longitudinal data collection which involves objectively measured PABs and their determinants.
Deliverables
- D4.1. Research harmonisation and designs, challenges and opportunities, FAIR principles, data collection, integration, linkage and federated analysis procedures (DE-PASS Training School 2).
- D4.2. To establish and report on the extent that the collection of data on the determinants of PABs can be harmonised across countries (Report).
- D4.3. Optimal prediction of physical activities behaviours - applying advanced statistical techniques to determinant profile data (DE-PASS Training School 3).
- D4.4. Optimise future research harmonisation, data collection and data integration (Memorandum of Understanding).
- D4.5. To provide proof of concept of data collection harmonisation and subsequently develop predictive models which will illuminate the complex interactions among determinants and with PABs (Manuscript).
WG Descriptor
WG4 European Harmonisation of Data Collection – The capacity of all participating countries to deliver high quality harmonised data will be identified. The potential to progressively achieve research harmonisation across DE-PASS partner countries will be defined and proof of concept of the following will be established:
- Management of multi-nation research harmonisation;
- Cohort baseline data collection;
- Resource consolidation;
- Database linkage and integration;
- Calibration, weighting and population generalisation studies;
- Federated data analysis and excellent data curation.
A minimum of five COST Countries (majority ITCs) will be involved; a limited number of key individual and environmental determinants of PABs will be targeted (targets from WG2 & data collection protocol by WG3), PABs will be objectively measured, a cross-sectional baseline will be established and a repeat data collection will be implemented after 3 years, creating a longitudinal cohort (growing to n=200 families, each country). The impact of PABs of the Family, Home and School Setting will be the initial focus, participating families at baseline will represent the socio-economic spectrum and involve children who will bridge the pre-school-primary-post primary transitions within the 3-year cohort observation period.
The new European database of determinants of PABs will have an identified pathway for future expansion i.e. integration with existing databases, addition of new studies, data and variables. An established potential exists for integrating new data with existing participant data from the Netherlands Twin Registry to examine the genetic regulation of PABs, the interplay between genetic and environmental determinant data, and the (bidirectional) relationships between gene expression and PABs. Similar potentials exist for other national biobanks. The cross-sectional baseline data has inherent value and will facilitate hypothesis generation and examination, comparative analysis of variation/diversity across countries and development of models differentiated by gender and age that optimally predict PABs from measured determinant profiles. Economic cost benefit analysis of policy and interventions targeting key determinants, will be applied. The extension to the cohort and subsequent examination of data trajectories will facilitate a more causal understanding of PABs and the effective evaluation of policy impact and ‘natural’ experiments related to variation in PABs determinants profiles across Europe.
A long-term sustainability plan to fund and expand the European database and cohort will be devised. Each participating country and the Action collectively will strategically pursue funding and avenues to contribute data. This is deemed as highly feasible as the equipment required (i.e. DE-PASS has access to 1,500 accelerometers) will already be in place and the additional cost of data collection will not be prohibitive. A trans-national MoU to harmonise future data collection and expand and exploit the database will be agreed. On a five-year cycle further iterations of the predictive models considering, new setting focus, increased sample size and addition of new variables will be published. DE-PASS will be established as the foremost harmonisation platform.
