Phenomic profiles and disease patterns of 1.9 million participants from Our Future Health

Abstract Our Future Health is a prospective study aiming to recruit 5 million UK-resident adults to enable discovery and translation of disease prevention, detection and treatment approaches. So far, more than 2.5 million have enrolled, and baseline phenotypic data are available for >1.9 million participants. Here we provide an assessment of phenotypes—self-reported health-related behaviors, geolocation, diagnoses and medication, in- and outpatient visits, cancer registry and cause of death—and comparison of disease patterns against national estimates and the UK Biobank cohort. Sociodemographic, lifestyle and health-related characteristics reflected UK population patterns; all but one minority ethnic group and the most socioeconomically deprived groups were underrepresented. The prevalence of several major self-reported conditions, particularly mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, was higher than national estimates and directionally concordant with the UK Biobank ( r = 0.78). Associations with known clinical correlates replicated across both cohorts ( r = 0.80). Medication-use patterns and cancer prevalence followed expected age-related gradients, with lower lung cancer rates than national data. As recruitment progresses, electronic health records can help specify disease patterns and systematically assess biases.

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Journal
Nature Medicine
Published
2026-09-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04602-4
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.16
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article

Phenomic profiles and disease patterns of 1.9 million participants from Our Future Health

Melinda Mills, Neil Wary, Vincent J. Straub, Augustine Kong et al.
1 citations
Nature Medicine
Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
5.16
article

Phenomic profiles and disease patterns of 1.9 million participants from Our Future Health

Melinda Mills, Neil Wary, Vincent J. Straub, Augustine Kong, Stefania Benónísdóttir, Robert Campbell, Giovanni Scotti Bentivoglio
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Abstract Our Future Health is a prospective study aiming to recruit 5 million UK-resident adults to enable discovery and translation of disease prevention, detection and treatment approaches. So far, more than 2.5 million have enrolled, and baseline phenotypic data are available for >1.9 million participants. Here we provide an assessment of phenotypes—self-reported health-related behaviors, geolocation, diagnoses and medication, in- and outpatient visits, cancer registry and cause of death—and comparison of disease patterns against national estimates and the UK Biobank cohort. Sociodemographic, lifestyle and health-related characteristics reflected UK population patterns; all but one minority ethnic group and the most socioeconomically deprived groups were underrepresented. The prevalence of several major self-reported conditions, particularly mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, was higher than national estimates and directionally concordant with the UK Biobank ( r = 0.78). Associations with known clinical correlates replicated across both cohorts ( r = 0.80). Medication-use patterns and cancer prevalence followed expected age-related gradients, with lower lung cancer rates than national data. As recruitment progresses, electronic health records can help specify disease patterns and systematically assess biases.

Nature Medicine
University Medical Center Groningen (NL), University of Iceland (IS), University of Groningen (NL), University of Oxford (GB), Nuffield Health (GB)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
5.16
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