The basic metric offers “a quick and cost-effective way to identify people at higher risk of death,” said Professor Tom Yates.
This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers from the University of Leicester, England, who analyzed health data on more than 400,000 adults collected by the UK Biobank. The association between these measures and the risk of mortality was particularly strong, the team noted, among those subjects living with long-term health conditions.
"These findings suggest that incorporating straightforward physical behavior and fitness measures can offer a quick and cost-effective way to identify people at higher risk ofSuch an approach, he added,"could support more targeted preventative health care."To predict a patient’s risk of mortality, doctors traditionally rely on such measures as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In the new study, however, the team set out to explore the predictive potential of five other metrics: handgrip strength, leisure-time physical activity, resting heart rate, sleep duration and walking pace. "Risk prediction models are widely used within clinical practice, public health and insurance sector," said paper author Yuhe Wang in a statement. "From a clinical perspective, risk scores help clinicians make better personalized decision-making and, in public health, risk scores help identify sections of the population that could benefit from preventative interventions." Prediction models, Wang added, are also used by life-insurance companies to classify individuals by their risk of death. "Traditionally, their risk prediction models include demographic factors such as sex, age and previous history of chronic disease," Wang said."Our analysis found that walking pace was the strongest single predictor of death," Yates said. "In people with existing health conditions, replacing blood pressure and cholesterol measurement with self-reported walking pace improved the model’s ability to predict mortality—meaning people were reclassified into a more-appropriate risk category. "When all five physical measures were combined, mortality prediction improved even further in groups with preexisting health conditions," Yates added. Paper author and statistician Richard Russell—who is the vice president of biometric research at the Reinsurance Group of America—added:"This research demonstrates that simple, accessible measures like walking pace and resting heart rate can help insurers better assess risk, while also empowering consumers to adopt behaviors that support longer, healthier lives."should be covering? Do you have a question about measures of physical health? Let us know viaWang, Y., Razieh, C., Rowlands, A. V., Bakrania, K., Russell, R., Khunti, K., Davies, M. J., Zaccardi, F., & Yates, T. . The Utility of Measures of Physical Behavior, Function, and Fitness as Predictors of Mortality.
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