Age Calculator Challenges

Message to sent to Florida Hospital Healthy 100 website today:

 

Here are the comments of four highly fit runners who took the age calculator test on your website.  All the respondents are highly fit runners.  Three of us are 60, 70 and 78 years old.  The two ladies responding are younger.  All of us challenge the accuracy of the test.  These comments have been posted to my blog today.  I have already sent one comment to your regarding myself.  You have not yet responded to my initial communication several days ago.

 

I am posting this info to my blog on the Orlando Runners Club website today at

orlandorunnersclub.jacksupdates@blogger.com

 

Jack G. Age 78

I should have died last year?

I am sorry to poke fun at Florida Hospital because they are a tremendous source of good in promoting healthy living in our community.  That said, it appears that their efforts in one area have got a bit awry.  At age 78, (as you might guess) I am kind of interested in the state of my longevity.  So I could not resist taking a test the Hospital's Healthy 100 website offers to people who want to evaluate their longevity and make desirable life style changes.

 

At my age, a man's fancy turns to----well, survival.  I took the test with confidence and got the results back.  THE TEST SAID I SHOULD HAVE DIED LAST YEAR!!  I was nonplussed!

 

Said I to myself, "surely there must be some mistake here!" So I repeated the test, adding back the inch in height which I have lost over the years.  Well, that gave me another year. (Go figure!) I began to consider the possibility of using a stretching machine.

 

At this point I indignantly shot off an e-mail to the Healthy 100 website and got an automatic response that someone out there would look into my problem and get back to me.  No answer so far.  Yesterday I decided to take the test for a third time and the results came back that I was now good for 81 years. I don't know whether to chalk this up to the power of prayer or a tweaked algorithm!

 

Christine (Mid 30-'s

Wow, that's a really long survey! My life expectancy came up as 79. I would've thought that was a little low, if only because I don't smoke, I don't drink, and I run 3-4 days a week. Ah, well.

Lynne (Forty some)

I tried the life calculator and ended up with 79.  I've done something similar previously and ended up with 94, which I liked much better

 

Seth (Age 60)

On your recommendation I tried it myself and got back a predicted demise at age 72. This could make sense but seems way too young to me. (I feel like I have more that 12 years remaining.) I'd have guessed something more like 80. I'm not fat, don't smoke, and have no serious family history of killer diseases.  I suspect that my large annual car mileage (~18K) was the thing that makes me prematurely mortal.  I plan to retake the test and tinker with variables.  I'll write again if any insights emerge. In the meantime I suggest we both regard results from this age calculator with more than a little skepticism.

 

Re-took the quiz and was able to increase my life expectancy to 75 by slightly decreasing my blood pressure (may have been estimated too high the first try) and decreasing my annual car mileage from 18K to 15K/yr. 

Still looks to me like this age calculator is bogus.

 

Jack R (Age 70

Jack I took the test and came out at 78(I just turned 70 a week ago)! My mom lived to 90, my dad to 89, I am planning on AT LEAST 90!! I enjoy your weekly emails and look forward to rejoining you on the Sunday runs in the spring. Happy Thanksgiving! Jack

 

Jack Gallagher