How long will you live? UEA app gives the answers
Researchers hope it'll lead to people making healthier choices.
It's a question that's crossed many of our minds, and thanks to the University of East Anglia (UEA), it might just be answered.
Researchers at the uni have developed an app which predicts an average life expectancy, using information on various medical and lifestyle factors.
Using big data from anonymised electronic health records, the Mylongevity app considers socio-demographic and health characteristics to give a forecast.
While it might be seen as a morbid subject by some, the UEA hopes it'll encourage people to make healthier lifestyle choices.
Professor Elena Kulinskaya, who's the lead researcher, said: "Life expectancy is a big consideration in any long-term planning and it is especially important to people planning their financial goals and retirement strategies.
"It can also help people improve their life expectancy by making healthy lifestyle changes"
The forecasts are based on UK life expectancy figures published by the Office for National Statistics, which are then refined using UEA research on cardiovascular disease and the benefits of statin use.
We asked Professor Kulinskaya if she has used the app: "Of course, I was one of the first subjects and overall I'm quite happy with the results.
"It gives me around the same life expectancy as both my grandmothers lived to, but I have to say, I come from a rather long-lived family."
The UEA's research included people aged 60 and older in England and Wales, but for younger people, the forecasts are calculated assuming they survive to the age of 60.
Professor Kulinskaya continued: “The results of our analysis are translated into life expectancies for 648 different risk profiles based on age, sex and postcode.
"The list of risk factors we used include hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, BMI, the risk of a cardiac event within 10 years, smoking status and statin use."
The app was designed before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which Elena admits could reduce the life expectancy for some.
However, they are planning to fine-tune it to explore the changes caused by the pandemic.
You can test the app for yourself here.