Sylvie Gadeyne

Vrije Universiteit Brussel | VUB · Interface Demography (DEMO)

Introduction Cancer causes a substantial burden to our society, both from a health and an economic perspective. To improve cancer patient outcomes and lower society expenses, early diagnosis and timely treatment are essential. The recent COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the care trajectory of cancer patients, which may affect their prognosis in a pote...

Background Worldwide, population is ageing, leading to a growing burden of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD). Socioeconomic position (SEP) has shown a persistent negative relationship with mortality over the last decades. The most common indicators of SEP such as income, education, and occu...

Aim Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide and the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems, causing delays in essential medical services, including cardiovascular (CV) care. This study aims to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delayed cardiovascular (CV) care in Europe by providing a systematic ove...

Background Low employment quality (EQ) has been associated with adverse mental health. Past unemployment may also be linked to reduced mental health and wellbeing later on and may influence subsequent EQ. However, understanding of the role (past) unemployment history may play in the association of (present) EQ and mental health and well-being is li...

Background This study aims to investigate how pre-existing health status and social background contribute to excess mortality during the COVID-19 crisis in Belgium. Methods The study population consists of 1.4 million adult members of Solidaris, the second largest health insurance fund in Belgium. Pre-existing health status was identified using he...

Aims: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems, causing delays in essential medical services, and potentially impacting CVD treatment. This study aims to estimate the impact of the pandemic on delayed CVD care in Europe by providing a systematic overview of the a...

The DRC has one of the highest fertility rates globally, yet research on fertility preferences in the country remains limited. This study aims to identify the factors contributing to the persistence of high fertility preferences among young and adolescent women (15-24) in the DRC. Using data from the 2013-2014 DHS, the study examines fertility pref...

Introduction Data linkage systems have proven to be a powerful tool in support of combating and managing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the interoperability and the reuse of different data sources may pose a number of technical, administrative and data security challenges. Methods and analysis This protocol aims to provide a case study for linkin...

Background: There is ample evidence that air pollution increases mortality risk, but most studies are based on modelled estimates of air pollution, while the subjective perception of air quality is scarcely assessed. We aimed to compare the effects of objective and subjective exposure to air pollution on cardiorespiratory mortality in Brussels, Be...

Objectives An individual’s quality of employment over time has been highlighted as a potential determinant of mental health. With mental ill-health greatly contributing to work incapacities and disabilities in Belgium, the present study aims to explore whether mental health, as indicated by registered mental health-related disability, is structured...

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced high levels of unmet need for family planning (UNFP) for many years, alongside high fertility, maternal and infant mortality rates. Previous research addressed the UNFP in DRC, but analyses were limited to the individual-level and to specific regions. This study aims to determine the individual...

Background: Residing in greener areas may decrease the burden of chronic diseases, but the association with cancer is unclear. We studied the associations between residential green spaces and site-specific cancer mortality in urban Belgium. Methodology: We linked the 2001 Belgian census, register mortality data for 2001–2014, and environmental info...

Background Exposure to green spaces is associated with improved mental health and may reduce risk of suicide. Here, we investigate the association between long-term exposure to residential surrounding greenness and suicide mortality. Methods We used data from the 2001 Belgian census linked to mortality register data (2001–2011). We included all re...

Air pollution is a major global health threat. There is growing evidence for a negative effect of air pollution on health and well-being. Relationships between air pollution and health are mediated by health risk perceptions and play a crucial role in public response to it. Air pollution in the public’s mind is often different from air pollution de...

In this poster, we present our findings of a longitudinal study where we investigated the association between long-term exposure to residential surrounding greenness and suicide mortality among residents of Belgium.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the spatial distribution of different types of Airbnb hosts – based on a novel typology – and to investigate their association with neighbourhood characteristics in Brussels. Design/methodology/approach: This study describes the location of Airbnb dwellings across the types of hosts and use spatial...

Background Living in greener areas is associated with slower cognitive decline and reduced dementia risk among older adults, but the evidence with neurodegenerative disease mortality is scarce. We studied the association between residential surrounding greenness and neurodegenerative disease mortality in older adults. Methods We used data from the...

Background Living in greener areas is associated with slower cognitive decline and reduced dementia risk among the elderly, but the evidence with neurodegenerative disease mortality is scarce. We studied the association between residential surrounding greenness and neurodegenerative disease mortality in an elderly population. Methods We used data...

Background Residing close to green spaces might reduce diabetes mellitus (DM) risk; however, evidence for diabetes mortality is limited. Moreover, individual and neighbourhood social factors may determine DM risk. Exposure to green spaces may also depend on socioeconomic position (SEP). This study examined the associations between residential green...

Background Belgium was one of the countries that was struck hard by COVID-19. Initially, the belief was that we were ‘all in it together’. Emerging evidence showed however that deprived socioeconomic groups suffered disproportionally. Yet, few studies are available for Belgium. The main question addressed in this paper is whether excess mortality d...

Background: Our living environment impacts on our health and wellbeing. The physical and mental benefits of interaction with nature and the ecosystem are well-established in literature. From a public health perspective, it is thus crucial that people make use of public green spaces (PGSs) in urban areas. Therefore, it is important to understand why...

Background Understanding public health risk perceptions is essential in efficient environmental health management. In the light of the negative impact of air pollution on health and the direct and indirect mediation of this impact through risk perceptions, it is crucial to better understand the lay perceptions of air pollution. Since qualitative re...

Previous studies have repeatedly shown that all‐cause mortality is subject to spatial variation within countries and that acculturation of migrant mortality to native patterns occurs gradually with increasing duration of residence. This suggests that spatial variation in mortality is likely to differ between migrants and natives and that the migran...

This study examines the associations between residential urban green spaces (UGS) and self-perceived health and natural cause mortality, applying an intersectional approach across gender, education and migrant background. We used data from the 2001 Belgian census linked to register data on emigration and mortality for the period 2001–2014, includin...

Much has been written about the social disparities in incidence and mortality from head and neck cancer, but comparatively, little is understood about how socioeconomic factors affect survival. As a major form of cancer incidence in Europe, it is important to more fully contextualise the social effects on survival from this complex disease. We cond...

To fight the COVID-19 epidemic, many countries implemented containment measures that made physical distancing the norm and imposed restrictions on the use of public space. In countries where access to public green spaces (PGSs) was safeguarded, they were expected to partially counterbalance the negative health outcomes of these containment measures...

Introduction Belgium has noted a significant excess mortality during the first COVID-19 wave. Research in other countries has shown that people with migrant origin are. disproportionally affected. Belgium has an ethnically diverse and increasingly ageing. population and is therefore particularly apt to study differential mortality by migrant. group...

Background: Socio-economic position is associated with cancer incidence, but the direction and magnitude of this relationship differs across cancer types, geographical regions, and socio-economic parameters. In this nationwide cohort study, we evaluated the association between different individual-level socio-economic and -demographic factors, canc...

Objectives Evidence is growing that non-standard employment is associated with adverse health. However, little is known about the relationship between different non-standard employment arrangements and subsequent all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Using population-wide data, the present study investigated this link. Methods Data was derived f...

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important factor in cancer survival; however, results are heterogeneous and linked to characteristics of the study population and health care system. This population-based cohort study evaluates the association between individual-level socioeconomic and demographic factors and cancer survival for the fi...

There remains a tendency to treat demographic components of urban change in isolation from one another, neglecting the interplay between them. Thus, research has fallen short of an integrated demographic approach for explaining ethnic densification and segregation. To address this shortfall, this paper attends to the dynamics of the components of d...

Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is increasingly being performed by trained health professionals. International, national, and local institutions strongly oppose this medicalization trend, arguing that the involvement of health-care providers in the performance of FGC will counteract efforts to eliminate the practice. However, no empirical research to...

Background Reducing socio-economic health inequalities is a public health priority, necessitating careful monitoring that should take into account changes in the population composition. We analyzed the evolution of educational inequalities in life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy at age 25 (LE25 and DFLE25) in Belgium between 2001 and...

Background Life expectancy increased in industrialized countries, but inequalities in health and mortality by socioeconomic position (SEP) still persist. Several studies have documented educational inequalities, yet the association between health and employment status remains unclear. However, this is an important issue considering the instability...

Because of compositional effects (more highly educated unemployed) and differences in the vulnerability towards the health consequences of unemployment (i.e. disappointment paradox hypothesis and/or status inconsistency for highly educated unemployed), it is argued that indicators of educational attainment need to be included when investigating the...

This study explores the association between individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and all-cancer and site-specific cancer mortality. Data on all Belgian residents is retrieved from a population-based dataset constructed from the 2001 census linked to register data on emigration and mortality for 2001-2011. The study population c...

Background: This study focuses on the health impact of the labour market position, since recent research indicates that exposure to both unemployment and precarious employment causes serious harm to people's health and well-being. An overview of general and mental health associations of different labour market positions in Belgium is provided. A d...

Background In Belgium, socio-economic inequalities in mortality have long been described at country-level. As Belgium is a federal state with many responsibilities in health policies being transferred to the regional levels, regional breakdown of health indicators is becoming increasingly relevant for policy-makers, as a tool for planning and evalu...

Objective: This study probes into site-specific cancer mortality inequalities by employment and occupational group among Belgians, adjusted for other indicators of socioeconomic (SE) position. Design: This cohort study is based on record linkage between the Belgian censuses of 1991 and 2001 and register data on emigration and mortality for 01/10/2...

In skilled migration research, the role of the study location in graduates’ residential behaviour remains unclear. This paper addresses this lacuna by examining the attractiveness and retention of higher education cities for local attendants in the period after study, using Belgium as an empirical case study. Drawing on a unique linkage of census a...

Purpose: According to the “fundamental cause theory”, emerging knowledge on health-enhancing behaviours and technologies results in persisting and even widening health disparities, favouring the higher socioeconomic groups. This study aims to assess (trends in) socioeconomic inequalities in site-specific cancer mortality in Belgian women. Methods:...

Background: According to the “fundamental cause” theory, emerging knowledge on health-enhancing behaviours and technologies results in health disparities. This study aims to assess (trends in) educational inequalities in site-specific cancer mortality in Belgian men in the 1990s and the 2000s using this framework. Methods: Data were derived from r...

This study aims to investigate the association between educational level and breast cancer mortality in Europe in the 2000s. Unlike most other causes of death, breast cancer mortality tends to be positively related to education, with higher educated women showing higher mortality rates. Research has however shown that the association is changing fr...

Background Reducing socioeconomic inequalities in mortality, a key public health objective may be supported by a careful monitoring and assessment of the contributions of specific causes of death to the global inequality. Methods The 1991 and 2001 Belgian censuses were linked with cause-of-death data, each yielding a study population of over 5 mil...

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess to what extent individual and area-level socioeconomic position (SEP) are associated to head and neck cancer (HNC) mortality and to what extent they contribute to regional variation in HNC mortality in Belgium. Materials and methods: Data on men aged 40-64 are collected from a population based datase...

Background: Ample studies have observed an adverse association between individual socioeconomic position (SEP) and lung cancer mortality. Moreover, the presence of a partner has shown to be a crucial determinant of health. Yet, few studies have assessed whether partner's SEP affects health in addition to individual SEP. This paper will study wheth...

Background Country averages for health outcomes hide important within-country variations. This paper probes into the geographic Belgian pattern of all-cause mortality and wishes to investigate the contribution of individual and area socio-economic characteristics to geographic mortality differences in men aged 45-64 during the period 2001-2011. Met...

Being a highly industrialized country with one of the highest male lung cancer mortality rates in Europe, Belgium is an interesting study area for lung cancer research. This study investigates geographical patterns in lung cancer mortality in Belgium. More specifically it probes into the contribution of individual as well as area-level characterist...

Background Cancer mortality constitutes a major health burden in Europe. Trends are different for men and women, and across Europe. This study aims to map out Belgian cancer mortality trends for the most common cancer types in both sexes between 1979 and 2010, and to link these with trends in cancer mortality and smoking prevalence across Europe....

Introduction Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death and lung cancer mortality among Belgian men is the highest in Europe. The association between lung cancer and socioeconomic status has been extensively studied, however, little research has focused on geographical differences in lung cancer mortality. Spatial analysis can provide insight...

Background: Diabetes prevalence is high worldwide, affecting entire populations. Yet some population groups are more susceptible than others. In contemporary western societies, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are disproportionally affected. The pattern is less clear for diabetes mortality. Researchers argue increasingly in favour of looking...

Objective To examine and quantify differences in both self-rated health (SRH) and mortality according to region of origin, migration history and educational level among adolescents and young adults living in the Brussels-Capital Region (BCR). Design The data consist of the census of 2001 for the BCR linked to death and emigration records for the pe...

This study investigates the impact of reproductive factors on the association between education and breast cancer mortality in Belgium. The role of reproductive factors has been investigated in several studies, with mixed results. Reproductive factors are either completely or partially responsible for the association between education and breast ca...

The relationship between women's parity and diabetes mortality has been investigated in several studies, with mixed results. This study aims to establish if parity and age at first birth are associated with diabetes-related mortality and if these factors contribute to variations in diabetes-related mortality among women with different nationalities...

To examine if and to what extent ethnic differences in diabetes-related mortality are associated with differences in education and housing status. The data consist of a cohort study linking the 2001 census to emigration and mortality data for the period 2001-05. The study population comprises all Belgian and North African inhabitants of the Brussel...

The aim of this study is to determine trends in life expectancy by educational level in Belgium and to present elements of interpretation for the observed evolution. The analysis is based on census data providing information on educational level linked to register data on mortality for the periods 1991–1994 and 2001–2004. Using exhaustive individua...

In this study, the traditional components of the Demand-Control-Support-Model are extended with a broad number of occupational stressors, while investigating associations with persistent fatigue, musculoskeletal complaints and emotional well-being. Furthermore, it is assessed how these stressors are structured into distinct dimensions within a popu...