I.A 2 The relevant causal geographic context in space and time

All studies assessing the influence of the external exposome on human health face two fundamental methodological challenges:

People are mobile and are exposed to multiple environments outside their residential neighbourhood (e.g., at work or at school);
Exposure research is additionally challenged by how the temporal exposure window for each person is assessed

Both methodological problems can introduce considerable misclassifications when assessing an individuals’ exposure. To address the need to correctly integrate the environmental context in space-time for health impact assessments, this research project aims to develop theories and methods to assess people’s daily and life-long exposures more accurately. To this end, we will establish the relevant spatial and temporal resolution to measure the “truly relevant causal geographic context” in space and time.

Decoding the exposome

The environment we live in has a dominant impact on our health. It explains an estimated seventy percent of the chronic disease burden. Where we live, what we eat, how much we exercise, the air we breathe and whom we associate with; all of these environmental factors play a role. The combination of these factors over the life course is called the exposome. There is general (scientific) consensus that understanding more about the exposome will help explain the current burden of disease and that it provides entry points for prevention and ...

I.A 2 The relevant causal geographic context in space and time

Researchers

Decoding the exposome