Evaluating Strategies for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

In this thesis we aimed at contributing to the evidence on the optimal strategy for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in modern Western populations using a risk based approach. More specifically, we constructed models by abstracting and deducing data from the cumulative work of others. If one would characterize this thesis in an overly simplistic approach, one could argue that we have merely aggregated and synthesized data that has already been produced through the extensive efforts of others. In fact, that is exactly what we did. Nevertheless, data synthesis is a far more daunting task than it may seem. Besides summarizing the main findings in this thesis, this chapter will be used to elaborate on the complexity of data synthesis and how this process has an important place in assessing the optimal strategy for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The limitations and challenges of this approach will also be discussed.