Predict your risk of death with your smartphone

It’s no joke: researchers have found a method that allows you to estimate your life expectancy with your smartphone. You don’t even need a special app or a wearable.

Death risk

We always have our smartphone with us and this is one reason why the device can help determine your risk of death so well, according to the scientists. It doesn’t even matter how many hours you spend staring at your screen or how distracted you are by notifications: your smartphone can help you determine your running pace. Scientias spoke to one of the researchers: “Detailed studies have shown that walking speed is closely associated with mortality risk.”

The research therefore focused on whether you can predict someone’s health by passively following people in their daily activities. That is certainly something that wearables such as pedometers and smart watches also do, but the people who have money for these kinds of gadgets often belong to the more affluent people. What about others? They often have a smartphone and that ultimately offers largely the same functions.

Motion sensors

100,000 Britons were followed for a week. Motion sensors that are also in smartphones monitored how they moved. In this way the walking speed could be determined and it must be nice and fast. It turns out that heart disease and lung disease cause you to get out of breath, which makes you walk slower. Once you get rid of that panting, you start walking faster again, after which you get out of breath again and the whole tune repeats itself. A clear pattern that can indicate that someone has heart or lung disease. This pattern is even detectable by inexpensive devices and walking only six minutes a day.

The researchers did not stop there, because it was obviously about predicting the future. A combination was made between the data from the study and demographic data, on which an algorithm was developed that can predict whether you have a higher risk of dying within five years. This will hopefully allow you to act faster if you do indeed have physical problems and hopefully make you change your lifestyle and hopefully live longer. The earlier you catch it, the better the average disease can be treated.

walking speed

It also immediately opens up a new world for smartphones: they can make a greater contribution to population screening, but also to individual health. Not only with rich people with the best, most beautiful gadgets, but also with people who are less fortunate. The researchers hope this will provide a new perspective on a path to a healthier society: everywhere.

Thanks for the tip, PatatPatrick!