AI4HealthyCities: Novartis Foundation reveals potential associations between social factors and heart health in New York City at UNGA 79

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Sep 24, 2024, 07:00 ET

Novartis Foundation and research partners leverage cutting-edge AI to uncover connections between social determinants and cardiovascular health across New York City, revealing how urban life can shape heart health in unexpected ways
New analysis of electronic health records linked to public data suggests strong associations between heart health and daily city life: long commutes, income levels, education, air pollution, broadband rates, family situation, and social isolation emerge as potential key factors influencing cardiovascular well-being
Key findings pave the way for targeted intervention in collaboration with New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to translate insights into targeted interventions, aiming to reshape heart health strategies for diverse urban communities

BASEL, Switzerland and NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new local study as part of the Novartis Foundation's AI4HealthyCities global population health initiative, in collaboration with Microsoft's AI for Good Research Lab, New York University's School of Global Public Health, and Weill Cornell Medicine, has uncovered potential connections between social determinants of health (SDOH) and cardiovascular health outcomes in New York City. The research, presented today at the 79th United Nations Global Assembly, marks a significant step forward in understanding the complex factors that may influence heart health in urban populations.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability both in New York City¹ and worldwide. According to the World Heart Federation², it accounts for 20.5 million deaths globally while being largely preventable. This underscores the critical importance of identifying and addressing the root causes of heart health issues, particularly in urban environments.

Detailed Research Findings
While the data does not imply any correlations between one or multiple SDOH and cardiovascular health outcomes, AI4HealthyCities uncovered several distinct patterns across New York City:

Areas with the highest prevalence of diagnosed hypertension were primarily located in the Bronx, Northern Manhattan, Eastern Queens, and Southern Brooklyn. Analyses indicated that regular commutes above one hour, reliance on public assistance income or SNAP benefits, air pollution, and living alone above the age of 65 may drive high hypertension prevalence in these neighborhoods.
Similarly, areas with high prevalence of diagnosed diabetes were primarily concentrated in the Bronx, Northern Manhattan, Eastern Queens, and Southern Brooklyn. Analyses suggested that regular commutes above one hour, lower educational attainment, low broadband rates, and living in single parent households might act as contributing factors to high diabetes prevalence in these neighborhoods.
AI4HealthyCities furthermore explored the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension, which was found to be higher in parts of Lower Manhattan and the more affluent parts of Queens and Brooklyn. This supports existing research³ that groups which appear to be at lower risk of hypertension have a higher chance of remaining undiagnosed should they develop the disease.

Dr. Ann Aerts, Head of the Novartis Foundation, emphasized the importance of the findings: "While we've long suspected that social determinants impact cardiovascular health, this study provides a more detailed understanding of specific variables as well as their possible correlation and effects. It's a crucial step in empowering local authorities to take informed, precise action."

The Novartis Foundation is collaborating with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to translate these findings into actionable interventions at population level. This effort aims to support the department's "HealthyNYC" vision for 2030⁴ by targeting resources where they may have the greatest impact.

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan highlighted the potential impact: "We are at an inflection point where generative AI has the potential to transform the way we care for patients and populations. To ensure healthier, longer lives for all, and to reduce health inequities in the process, we will need to address the burden of preventable chronic illness, especially diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. We are proud to be a part of innovative efforts like AI4HealthyCities which are applying modern technology to create new understanding and, ultimately, drive action."

AI4HealthyCities was initially launched in New York City in 2022 and builds on research suggesting 80% of a population's health outcomes are potentially determined outside of the healthcare system.⁵ By leveraging advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, the program analyzes electronic health records from public and private health systems, linking them with publicly available data on social and environmental factors. The initiative focuses on cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. Since its inception, AI4HealthyCities has expanded to other major cities, including Singapore, Lisbon, Basel, and Helsinki, with the potential to serve as a blueprint for improving urban health globally.

Imagery and further background information can be found on the Novartis Foundation Media Library.

About AI4HealthyCities
Studies suggest that only about 20% of our health outcomes are shaped by the healthcare we access, while about 80% are determined by genetics and the socio-economic and environmental conditions in which we live, grow, and age.⁵ AI4HealthyCities is a population health initiative designed and coordinated by the Novartis Foundation to improve understanding of what truly drives cardiovascular health in populations by applying analytics and AI on data from health- and health-influencing sectors. AI4HealthyCities aims to equip city authorities with tools to use the data-driven insights for better planning and resource allocation in health. Ultimately, the aim is to catalyze a paradigm shift from healthcare to health and transform the current reactive care systems into proactive, predictive, and preventive health systems that keep people healthy.

About the Novartis Foundation
The Novartis Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Switzerland. For over 40 years, we have helped improve the health of low-income populations, initially supporting disease elimination in areas such as leprosy and malaria. Today, we tackle the burning health issues of our time: cardiovascular disease and health inequity. We take a population health approach, which means widening the lens from a narrow focus on healthcare delivery to a panoramic vision of improving health in the population at large, with a goal of ensuring healthy lives for all. Our work brings together existing but disconnected data to help authorities understand the root causes of inequitable health outcomes and find the best ways and partners to remediate them. We aim to empower governments to transform their health systems from being reactive to being proactive, predictive, and preventative, and achieving health equity among the populations they serve.

Visit us at www.novartisfoundation.org and connect with us on LinkedIn.

References
¹ https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/heart-disease.page (Accessed July 30, 2024)
²https://world-heart-federation.org/wp-content/uploads/World-Heart-Report-2023.pdf#page=3 (Accessed July 30, 2024)
³ Campbell, E., E. Macey, C. Shine, V. Nafilyan, N. Cadogan Clark, P. Pawelek et al. 2023. Sociodemographic and health-related differences in undiagnosed hypertension in the health survey for England 2015–2019: a cross-sectional cohort study. Lancet eClinicalMedicine 65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102275 (Accessed July 30, 2023)
⁴ https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/about-doh/healthynyc.page#:~:text=HEALTHYNYC%20(PDF)-,Drivers%20and%20Goals,-Our%20vision%20is (Accessed July 30, 2024)
⁵ Hood, C. M., K. P. Gennuso, G. R. Swain, and B. B. Catlin. 2016. County health rankings: Relationships between determinant factors and health outcomes. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 50(2):129-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.08.024 (Accessed July 30, 2024)