The SEARCH collaboration
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| Duration | 01 Jan 2013 - Today |
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Partner
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Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health |
Partner
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World Health Organization |
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About the project
In January 2013, Swiss Re and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health created SEARCH – the Systematic Explanatory Analyses of Risk factors affecting Cardiovascular Health – to better understand the relationship between risk factors and health outcomes. As the world’s second largest reinsurer, Swiss Re seeks more accurate projections of global morbidity and mortality. The Harvard Chan School seeks to better understand the most important determinants of health and to improve health status globally.
SEARCH was sponsored by Swiss Re Group Underwriting, the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue, the Swiss Re Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
It fostered significant collaboration with other institutions including the World Health Organization, the Lown Institute and the Public Health Foundation of India.
The initial focus of SEARCH was on the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. The collaboration focused on four countries: Brazil and Mexico in Latin America, and China and India in Asia. These four countries are flagships for rapid development and rapid evolution of a variety of risk factors that will determine morbidity, mortality and longevity. Eleven postdoctoral fellows were awarded grants to conduct research based on existing data sets/cohorts. Each fellow had a mentor at the Harvard Chan School and Swiss Re.
Report
Learn about the accomplishments of SEARCH in 2013 and 2014.
Activities
02 May 2015
15 Apr 2015
10 Mar 2015
15 Oct 2014
01 Jan 2014
10 Nov 2013
15 Oct 2013
Cardiovascular health risk factors in India
India is becoming more prosperous. Urbanisation and changing lifestyles have created rapid shifts in human behaviour and health profiles, most notably a shift from infectious to non-communicable diseases, and one of them is cardiovascular disease. It has been the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in India in recent years, challenging current public health provisions and insurance funding models.
Cardiovascular health risk factors in China and the implications for insurance
China is becoming more prosperous. Urbanisation and changing lifestyles have created rapid shifts in human behaviour and health profiles, most notably a shift from infectious to non-communicable diseases, and one of them is cardiovascular disease. It has been the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in China in recent years, challenging current public health provisions and insurance funding models.
Expert Forum on health risk factors in Brazil
Brazil is facing a pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These are challenging current public health provisions and insurance funding models. Understanding the drivers behind this epidemic is vitally important. The Expert Forum will introduce the SEARCH collaboration, providing expert articles on latest changes in health risk factors in Brazil. The Expert Forum will feature presentations by two of the authors who analysed the most important risk factors leading to cardiovascular disease, along with risk transfer tools that aim to protect health insurance policy holders against such occurrences.
Expert Forum on health risk factors in rapidly changing economies
Regions undergoing rapid economic development are experiencing a pandemic of non-communicable diseases, both metabolic and cardiovascular. These are challenging public health provisions and insurance funding models. The two-year SEARCH collaboration between Swiss Re and the Harvard School of Public Health, which was set up to investigate the risk factors driving the epidemic, focused on the situations in Brazil, China, India and Mexico. Marking the launch of the Risk Dialogue Series lead publication on the subject, the Expert Forum featured presentations by two of the authors on air pollution in China and nutrition transition in India.
SEARCH Activity Report 2013-2014
Harvard and Swiss Re have a history of collaboration that goes back more than a decade, leading to a conviction that their goals and strategy overlap and are synergistic. Swiss Re and Harvard were able to work together on topics of great interest and relevance to reinsurance, public health, and to public policy in Brazil, Mexico, India and China. These four countries are flagships for rapid development and rapid evolution of a variety of risk factors that will determine morbidity, mortality and longevity.
The future of human longevity: Cardiovascular health, longer lives
One of the key themes of Swiss Re's 150-year anniversary was a better shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities of funding longer lives. The longevity conference provided a forum for leading thinking over multi-disciplinary models of future mortality and morbidity, and explored how we can promote healthy ageing.
Impact of cardiovascular risk factors on healthy lifespan and mortality in Brazil and Mexico
Cardiovascular disease and stroke have become the number one causes of death in the strategically important markets of Brazil and Mexico. But what do we know behind these headline figures? What efforts are being made to improve cardiovascular mortality outcomes and how can public health contribute? What factors are inhibiting the development of healthier hearts? How will these questions affect overall mortality in the two countries? The conference complemented a joint research collaboration currently being undertaken by Swiss Re and the Harvard School of Public Health. The study is entitled Systematic Explanatory Analyses of Risk Factors affecting Cardiovascular Health (SEARCH). The findings of the study will explore the potential for better health outcomes, and how current disease trends might affect future mortality.
Publications
Risk Dialogue Series: Health Risk Factors India
India stands at a transition point between the health conditions of developing and developed economies. Hundreds of millions in the vast country still live in rural poverty, coping with undernourishment, poor sanitation, limited health care and outbreaks of infectious disease.
Year: 2015
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Risk Dialogue Series: Health Risk Factors Mexico
Brazil is a vast country. Despite extensive public health campaigns, parts of Brazil still struggle with infectious diseases that are characteristic of developing countries. At the same time, it is beset by a rising rate of NCDs, a situation compounded by the country’s ageing population.
Year: 2015
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Risk Dialogue Series: Health Risk Factors China
China’s health profile has changed quickly. Establishing an effective system of public and private healthcare provision is a major undertaking for the country’s authorities. The publication provides a broad range of insights into current trends and developments.
Year: 2015
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Risk Dialogue Series: Health Risk Factors Brazil
Brazil is a vast country. Despite extensive public health campaigns, parts of Brazil still struggle with infectious diseases that are characteristic of developing countries. At the same time, it is beset by a rising rate of NCDs, a situation compounded by the country’s ageing population.
Year: 2015
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Risk Dialogue Series: Fatores de Risco à Saúde no Brasil
O Brasil é um país vasto. Apesar dos esforços extensivos das autoridades de saúde pública, ele ainda sofre com focos de doenças infecciosas graves. Ao mesmo tempo, é atormentado pelo aumento de DCNTs, uma situação agravada pelo nvelhecimento da população. Tal como acontece com outros mercados emergentes, o Brasil tem uma classe média crescente.
Year: 2015
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Risk Dialogue Series: Health Risk Factors in Rapidly Changing Economies
Emerging markets have undergone a dramatic transformation over recent decades. They have typically developed from largely rural, agricultural societies to manufacturing and service providing urban powerhouses. Less publicised, but equally significant has been the shift in their health profiles.
Year: 2014
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Risk Dialogue Magazine: Special print edition on health risk factors
First world diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent in high growth and emerging markets. It is important to better understand these trends, both from a public health perspective and in order to build effective life and health insurance pools.
Year: 2014
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The future of human longevity: cardiovascular health, longer lives
The astonishing increase in longevity occurring throughout the world has accelerated in recent decades. As a result, the percentage of elderly people within the population has risen dramatically in many countries. The challenges and opportunities of funding longer lives, particularly in populous nations such as China and India, were key themes during a three-day conference held from 10 to 12 November at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue
Year: 2014
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Impact of cardiovascular risk factors on healthy lifespan and mortality in Brazil and Mexico
Learn about the key takeaways from the "Cardiovascular health in Brazil and Mexico" conference in Cambridge, USA at which 26 expert speakers presented.
Year: 2014
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SEARCH Overview and stakeholders
In January 2013, Swiss Re and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) created SEARCH – Systematic Explanatory Analyses of Risk factors affecting Cardiovascular Health – to better understand the relationship between risk factors and health outcomes. As the world’s second largest reinsurer, Swiss Re seeks more accurate projections of global morbidity and mortality. HSPH seeks to better understand the most important determinants of health and to improve health status globally.
Year: 2013
Download PDF
Articles
Socioeconomic Gradients and Distribution of Diabetes, Hypertension, and Obesity in India
Daniel J. Corsi, PhD1; S. V. Subramanian, PhD
Potential Impact of Time Trend of Life-Style Factors on Cardiovascular Disease Burden in China
Yanping Li, PhD; Dong D. Wang, MD, DS; Sylvia H. Ley, PhD; Annie Green Howard, PhD; Yuna H, PhD; Yuan Lu, DS; Goodarz Danaei, DS; Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD; August 2016
A prospective cohort study challenging the effectiveness of population-based medical intervention for smoking cessation
Alpert, H.R., Connolly, G.N., and Biener, L. Tobacco control, 22, 32-37, 2013
Educational and sex differentials in life expectancies and disability-free life expectancies in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and urban areas in Mexico
Beltran-Sanchez, H., and Andrade, F.C. Journal of aging and health, 25, 815-838, 2013
Biological risk in the Mexican population at the turn of the 21st century
Beltran-Sanchez, H., and Crimmins, E.M. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, 28, 299-316, 2013
Links between socio-economic circumstances and changes in smoking behavior in the Mexican population: 2002-2010
Beltran-Sanchez, H., Thomas, D., Teruel, G., Wheaton, F., and Crimmins, E.M. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, 28, 339-358, 2013
Has the tobacco industry evaded the FDA's ban on 'Light' cigarette descriptors?
Connolly, G.N., and Alpert, H.R. Tobacco control, 23, 140-145, 2014
Divergent socio-economic gradients in smoking by type of tobacco use in India
Corsi, D.J., and Subramanian, S.V. The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease, 18, 122-124, 2014
Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study: Baseline characteristics of the household sample and comparative analyses with national data in 17 countries
Corsi, D.J., Subramanian, S.V., Chow, C.K., McKee, M., Chifamba, J., Dagenais, G., Diaz, R., Iqbal, R., Kelishadi, R., Kruger, A., et al. American heart journal, 166, 636-646 e634, 2013
Tobacco use, smoking quit rates, and socioeconomic patterning among men and women: a cross-sectional survey in rural Andhra Pradesh, India
Corsi, D.J., Subramanian, S.V., Lear, S.A., Teo, K.K., Boyle, M.H., Raju, P.K., Joshi, R., Neal, B., and Chow, C.K. European journal of preventive cardiology, 21, 1308-1318, 2014
Ten-Year Trends in Total Physical Activity Practice in Brazilian Adults: 2002-2012
Hallal, P.C., Cordeira, K., Knuth, A.G., Mielke, G.I., and Victora, C.G. Journal of physical activity & health, 2014
Time trends of physical activity and television viewing time in Brazil: 2006-2012
Mielke, G.I., Hallal, P.C., Malta, D.C., and Lee, I.M. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 11, 101, 2014
Jumping the gun: the problematic discourse on socioeconomic status and cardiovascular health in India
Subramanian, S.V., Corsi, D.J., Subramanyam, M.A., and Smith, G.D. International journal of epidemiology, 42, 1410-1426, 2013
Effects of Body Mass Index, Abdominal Obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes on Mortality in Community-Dwelling Elderly in Sao Paulo, Brazil: Analysis of Prospective Data From the SABE Study
Suemoto, C.K., Lebrao, M.L., Duarte, Y.A., and Danaei, G. The journals of gerontology Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2014
FAQ
The SEARCH collaboration is a joint undertaking between the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Swiss Re with the goal to get better data on heart disease in Brazil, China, India and Mexico. Learn about the objectives and background of the project.
What goals did the collaboration have?
The objective was to gather reliable data on cardiovascular disease risk factors and management in Brazil, China, India, and Mexico. We analysed this data in the context of requirements for healthy longevity. The study addressed medical risk factors, prevention and treatment practices, lifestyle choices and public health policy. SEARCH complements the WHO Global Burden of Disease study with a focus on non-communicable diseases. Specific subject areas addressed include:
- Risk factors such as smoking, air pollution, diet, diabetes, obesity and hypertension, and physical inactivity
- Disease treatment and prevention practices for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome
The project sought to understand and predict the future impact of cardiovascular disease on the well-being and longevity of humans in high growth economies. How do government policies affect risk factors? How do risk factors such as smoking, pollution, diet, obesity, and hypertension affect outcomes? Finally, as we better understand risk factors and health outcomes, how does that shape health policy?
Swiss Re seeks to better understand future longevity drivers and model them into Swiss Re’s current and future business strategies. Changes in mortality will have a significant influence on in-force and future life insurance business. The Harvard Chan School would like to better understand public health challenges in different countries, and to make recommendations aimed at improving mortality outcomes.
Why are Swiss Re and the Harvard Chan School so interested in emerging economies?
- Emerging/ high growth markets are fast expanding and rapidly growing their middle class. There is a concurrent growth in many markets in demand for life and health insurance policies.
- As economies become more prosperous, there are rapid shifts in their human behavior and health profiles, most notably a shift from infectious to non-communicable diseases.
- Emerging/ high growth markets frequently lack the depth and sophistication of data currently found in many industrial economies.
Why was the focus on cardiovascular disease?
- It is the biggest cause of death in major emerging/ high growth economies.
- It is closely associated with an established range of causal factors, including inactivity, smoking and diet.
- Altering causal factors for cardiovascular disease will have a significant effect on mortality. Factors include smoking bans, urban and housing designs that encourage physical activity, and emergency responses to coronary events.
Presentations
SEARCH - The search for health risk factors in Brazil, China, India and Mexico
Christoph Nabholz, Head Business Development, Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue
Presentation PDF
Health risk factor time trends and risk prevention
Daniel Ryan, Head R&D - Life&Health and Big Data, Swiss Re
Presentation PDF
Health risk air pollution
Doug Dockery, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology; Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Nutrition transition - Dietary behaviours and consequences in India
Shilpa Bupathiraju, Research Fellow, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
