Browsing around the internet you may come across a life expectancy calculator which gives you a prediction of at what age you will die. They are normally based on a series of simple questions and will give you suggestions at the end on how you might improve your score. While these tests and scores may seem arbitrary, they are based around the same criteria that insurance companies use to determine premiums for life cover and health cover. The online tests are a simplified version of key factors which can have an affect on whether you will live to ripe old age or pass away rather earlier than you might expect.
It is important not to cheat on the questions if you want a fair appraisal of your lifestyle. If you smoke two packs a day, saying that you are a non-smoker will radically change the outcome of the test. As an example, a healthy female can expect to lose up to ten years or her life if she smokes more than forty a day. This may seem like common sense, but when the numbers are in front of you it is a stark reminder of just how bad smoking is for your health.
Other factors relating to lifestyle are also considered; healthy eating habits and regular exercise can help you not only live longer, but also be more active in your latter years. Once again this seems like common sense; it is well known that eating junk food regularly without exercise can lead to obesity. Anyone who is overweight runs the risk of diabetes, heart disease and a range of other ailments which could significantly shorten their life. The way you treat your body, even in youth, has a lasting affect which may not produce symptoms until it is too late to remedy.
Many of the tests online also ask questions about family health. This is because many diseases have a genetic component which predisposes certain people to those illnesses. Heart problems and cancers tend to run in families, so knowing your family medical history is vital. There are some inherited diseases which can not be cured, but early detection can aid the treatment. There are some studies which have advocated that women at a high risk of breast cancer should have mastectomies before any cancer is detected, but this is an extreme measure to take and in most cases regular screening is more appropriate.
If there is a family history of cardiac problems, you can tailor your lifestyle to eat healthily and exercise regularly to keep your heart in good shape. You could also consult a cardiologist regularly and try to pick up any signs of trouble before they become a risk to your health. Early detection of any disease increases the chance of survival greatly making screening programs extremely important for those at risk. Know your body and listen to any warning signs like shortness of breath or unexplained pains. There are many people who put off visiting the doctor for various reasons, but in a lot of cases, a trip to the doctors office a few months or even weeks earlier could have saved their life.
While this is all sensible stuff, can you really predict how long someone can live based on the answers to a few basic questions. The tests use data taken from previous studies and census information to get an average life expectancy based on gender, then deduct years for every bad habit you have. What the tests fail to take into account are other external factors which can have significant impact on your life.
Where you live in the world affects the starting average age. Wherever you live, with a few exceptions, females live longer than men, but the Japanese live longer than the British who in turn live longer than Americans. If you are unlucky enough to be born and raised in Africa you can expect your life to be over well before westerners draw a pension. Most tests do not take your country of residence into account though and thus the numbers should be interpreted as a guideline based on you living and working in a wealthy nation.
Living and working in Africa will significantly lower your score if it were to be added to the test. Increased risk of aids, malaria and civil wars mean the average life expectancy in most African nations is less than fifty years, while in Europe, Asia and the Americas it is over seventy. The online program may be helpful enough to tell you to quit smoking and eat better, but that will not help if you contract a disease while travelling or are unlucky enough to be caught in a war zone.
There are many factors in you life you can and should control, but in the modern world there are so many unknowns that any simple set of questions can only give a rough estimate of your likely demise. If you pursue a dangerous sport as a hobby, such as sky diving or motor racing, there is a higher risk of you having an accident. Living in a busy city increases your risk of being the victim of violent crime. The more miles you drive commuting increases your risk of a motor vehicle accident. The list is endless.
Your home environment is one of the key factors which is also overlooked on most tests. Living in a poor area which is rife with crime, drugs and gangs will seriously reduce your chances of a long a happy life. Poverty leads to poor healthcare, poor diet and illnesses which are rare in wealthier societies. None of this can be taken into account during a short interview on the internet, but if you can eat good wholesome food, exercise and stay out of trouble you can improve your chances of living to enjoy retirement.
A life expectancy calculator is only as good as the data it was programmed with, the questions it asks and the answers you give. At the end of the day there are many who would say that our lives are in the hands of fate and when your times is up you have got to go. In the meantime you can try to beat the odds by taking the tips offered by these sites.