The Framingham Heart Study not only keeps us healthy, but it can also teach us to predict
the future events.
Every time we go to the doctor's office, our blood pressure is taken, and we get our cholesterol
measured.
This is because the Framing Heart Study, initiated in the late 1940s in the United States, identified
that blood pressure and cholesterol are risk factors of coronary heart disease.
The concept of identifying variables to determine the likelihood of a future event is the core
of predictive analytics.
All businesses have a responsibility to think of the future and try to forecast events,
but the process and protocols to develop predictive algorithms can feel daunting.
Join the Framingham Heart Study journey to not only learn about this landmark research
but also gain an understanding of the key 4 steps to develop your own model to predict
any metric of choice like revenue, cost, or profit.
First, define your target variable.
In this case, it is the presence or absence of ten-year coronary heart disease.
Second, identify a set of predictor variables.
For example, age, body mass index, and hypertension are all predictor variables.
Third, build the model.
The Framingham Heart study used logistic regression.
And, finally, validate the model.
In the healthcare setting, careful analysis and inspection for bias is critical.