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.
Authors
- Melinda Mills (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1704-0001)
- Neil Wary (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0712-276X)
- Vincent J. Straub (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3393-6027)
- Augustine Kong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8193-5438)
- Stefania Benónísdóttir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5019-514X)
- Robert Campbell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0212-224X)
- Giovanni Scotti Bentivoglio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8381-6079)
Institutions
- University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
- University of Iceland (IS)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Nuffield Health (GB)
Publication Details
- 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