Study: mobile phone can predict risk of death

As American research scientists have established, data collected by motion sensors on mobile phones in just six minutes of walking may be enough to predict the likelihood of death of the owner of the gadget over the next five years.

A study by Bruce Satz of the University of Illinois and published in the digital health journal PloS Digital Health according to New Scientist found that the accuracy of the above method is roughly comparable to the accuracy of other, more traditional forecasting methods.

Previous studies have assessed the risk of early death based on overall physical activity using sensors in other devices such as bracelets and smartwatches. Almost all people now have smartphones with such motion sensors, but they do not carry the phone with them all the time, so their overall level of physical activity cannot be reliably recorded.

To find an alternative predictor (prognostic parameter) of risk, the researchers analyzed the health data of 100,655 people who wore an electronic bracelet with a motion sensor for a week. Over the next five years, about 2% of participants died from various causes.

The results of the analysis done by artificial intelligence are impressive. Using an algorithm that estimated the risk of early death based only on acceleration during a six-minute walk, showed that in the presence of diseases such as heart and lung diseases, people often slow down their pace and then accelerate it again.

Based on the analysis of walking acceleration and deceleration, the new model can predict the future risk of death with an accuracy comparable to other more traditional indicators (for example, using health questionnaires or total daily activity).

While the new study used motion sensors worn on the wrist, Szaz says smartphones can also measure acceleration during a short walk, predicting a similar risk. The researchers even suggest that it is possible to use data from mobile phones at the level of the entire population of the country to assess the health status of residents.

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