As South Africans await the completion of the first national health survey in over a decade, Canadian researchers have developed a tool that could put it to further good use.
The algorithm, developed by researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluation, found that smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and unhealthy alcohol consumption contributed to nearly half of all deaths in Canada.
Using statistics from the 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey, it also found that Canadians who followed recommended healthy behaviours had a life expectancy 17.9 years greater than individuals with the unhealthiest habits.
Using statistics from the Demographic and Health Survey due in November this year, the same algorithm will be able to tell South Africans what the biggest health- risk factors are.
A total of 15,000 homes were selected to participate in the South African health survey, which began in May.
