HI TECH

Smartphone Fitness Trackers Can Predict DeathRisk Over The Next 5 Years

Smartphone fitness trackers can predict a person’s risk of deathover the next five years.

The findingsare based on 100,000 participants in the UK Biobank who wore activity monitorson their wrist with motion sensors for one week. They extract information onintensity from short bursts of activity, a daily version of a walking test.

The team onlyneeded data from six minutes a day of steady walking, combined with traditionaldemographic characteristics. The equivalent of gait speed calculated from thispassively collected data was a predictor of five-year mortality independent ofage and sex.

The technologyopens the door for easier health screenings.

‍