Our Future Health reports baseline data on 1.9 million UK participants
Our Future Health, a prospective study aiming to recruit 5 million UK adults, has enrolled more than 2.5 million participants so far. Baseline phenotypic data are now available for over 1.9 million of them. The data include self-reported health behaviors, geolocation, diagnoses, medication use, in- and outpatient visits, cancer registry entries, and cause of death. All minority ethnic groups except one and the most socioeconomically deprived groups were underrepresented. Prevalence of several major self-reported conditions was higher than national estimates, particularly for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Medication use and cancer prevalence followed expected age-related gradients, with lower lung cancer rates than national data. The analysis was published in Nature on 10 September 2026.
The dataset gives researchers a large and growing cohort for disease prevention studies. Electronic health records can help specify disease patterns and systematically assess enrollment biases as recruitment continues.
Written by the Genomes desk from the primary source cited and linked above and checked against it. Research use only; not medical advice. Corrections: [email protected].