Healthy lifestyle over the life course: Population trends and individual changes over 30 years of the Doetinchem Cohort Study
Edith E. Schermer, Peter Engelfriet, Anneke Blokstra, W. M. Monique Verschuren, H. Susan J. Picavet
Abstract
For five health-related lifestyle factors (physical activity, weight, smoking, sleep, and alcohol consumption) we describe both population trends and individual changes over a period of 30 years in the same adult population. Dichotomous indicators (healthy/unhealthy) of lifestyle were analyzed for 3,139 participants measured every 5 years in the Doetinchem Cohort Study (1987-2017). Population trends over 30 years in physical inactivity and "unhealthy" alcohol consumption were flat (i.e., stable); overweight and unhealthy sleep prevalence increased; smoking prevalence decreased. The proportion of the population being healthy on all five lifestyle factors declined from 17% in the round 1 to 10.8% in round 6. Underlying these trends a dynamic pattern of changes at the individual level was seen: sleep duration and physical activity level changed in almost half of the individuals; Body Mass Index (BMI) and alcohol consumption in one-third; smoking in one-fourth. Population trends don't give insight into change at the individual level. In order to be able to gauge the potential for change of health-related lifestyle, it is important to take changes at the individual level into account.