HAPIEE Study
(Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe)
The HAPIEE study is a cohort study that assesses the effects of dietary factors, alcohol consumption and psychosocial factors on the health of men and women aged 45-69 years in four countries of Central and Eastern Europe undergoing rapid social and economic transition.
Why focus on Central and Eastern Europe?
Countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) have among the highest mortality in the world, and the mortality crisis in the former Soviet Union (FSU) is unprecedented. This is almost entirely due to non-communicable diseases (NCD), particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), most of which is coronary heart disease (CHD). The high rates of ill health, the close link between political and socio-economic factors and health, and the rapid changes in CCEE/FSU offer a unique opportunity to study the aetiology of CHD and other NCD. Classical risk factors, such as smoking and blood pressure, provide only a partial explanation for the high mortality.