CHARM
Online
Risk Calculator
What is CHARM?
The Comprehensive Health and Risk Manager (CHARM) is a computer program that estimates life expectancy and risk of death from 270 diseases, based on a person’s risk profile.
Estimation starts with the specification of age and sex, and the values of 60 risk factors (e.g., systolic blood pressure, smoking, fruit consumption, physical activity, air pollution, etc.). If the value of a risk factor (e.g., cholesterol level) is not known, the program will assume the average value for the population. For each risk factor, the relative risk of death from each disease is calculated relative to the country-specific average exposure (e.g., average blood pressure).
The program uses information on disease-specific death rates by age and sex, age/sex-specific distributions of risk factors in the population, and age/sex-specific relative risk of death for all disease-risk combinations to create a life-table for people like the user, that is, males or females the same age, with the values of the risk factors (risk profile) entered by the user. Once the risk of death and life expectancy have been calculated, the user may enter new values of the risk factor(s) to see the effect of changes in one or more risk factors on life expectancy. The new life expectancy is calculated assuming a gradual change in risk following a change in exposure to the risk factor(s).
How can I access CHARM?
More information about CHARM and the impact of various risk factors on life expectancy can be found in an article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. To access this article, please click here.
Reference
Kopec JA, Sayre EC, Shams B, Li LC, Xie H, Feehan LM, Esdaile JM. The Impact of 51 Risk Factors on Life Expectancy in Canada: Findings from a New Risk Prediction Model Based on Data from the Global Burden of Disease Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):8958.
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