This open access book examines health trajectories and health transitions at different stages of the life course, including childhood, adulthood and later life. It provides findings that assess the role of biological and social transitions on health status over time.

The essays examine a wide range of health issues, including the consequences of military service on body mass index, childhood obesity and cardiovascular health, socio-economic inequalities in preventive health care use, depression and anxiety during the child rearing period, health trajectories and transitions in people with cystic fibrosis and oral health over the life course.

The book addresses theoretical, empirical and methodological issues as well as examines different national contexts, which help to identify factors of vulnerability and potential resources that support resilience available for specific groups and/or populations.

Health reflects the ability of individuals to adapt to their social environment. This book analyzes health as a dynamic experience. It examines how different aspects of individual health unfold over time as a result of aging but also in relation to changing socioeconomic conditions. It also offers readers potential insights into public policies that affect the health status of a population.

Contents

• 1. Introduction
  Claudine Burton-Jeangros, Stéphane Cullati, Amanda Sacker, and David Blane.
  • The Ambitions of Life Course Epidemiology
  • The Added Value of the Life Course Perspective to the Analysis of Health
  • Theoretical Models in Life Course Epidemiology
  • Methodological Considerations in the Study of Health Trajectories
  • Policy Implications of Knowledge Gained on Health Trajectories and Transitions
  • State of the Field and Contributions of the Volume
  • References
• 2. Trajectories and Transitions in Childhood and Adolescent Obesity
  Laura D. Howe, Riz Firestone, Kate Tilling, and Debbie A. Lawlor.
  • Introduction
  • When Do Children Become Overweight or Obese?
  • Once a Child Becomes Overweight or Obese, How Likely is He/She to Remain So?
  • Aetiological Insight from Studying Childhood Adiposity Trajectories
  • Concluding Remarks
  • References
• 3. Oral Health Over the Life Course
  Anja Heilmann, Georgios Tsakos, and Richard G. Watt.
  • Introduction
  • Oral Health Over the Life Course: Evidence from Empirical Studies
  • A Life Course Framework for Oral Health
  • Policy Implications
  • Summary
  • References
• 4. A Life Course Perspective on Body Size and Cardio-metabolic Health
  William Johnson, Diana Kuh, and Rebecca Hardy.
  • Introduction
  • The Life Course Perspective
  • Deleterious Body Size Trajectories
  • Determinants and Mechanisms of Deleterious Trajectories
  • Public Health Relevance and Conclusion
  • References
• 5. Health Trajectories in People with Cystic Fibrosis in the UK: Exploring the Effect of Social Deprivation
  David Taylor-Robinson, Peter Diggle, Rosalind Smyth, and Margaret Whitehead.
  • Cystic Fibrosis As a Case for Studying Health Inequalities
  • Key Features of Cystic Fibrosis
  • Clinical Management of CF
  • Previous Research on Health Inequalities and CF
  • Using the Diderichsen Model to Study Inequalities in CF Outcomes in the UK
  • The Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Clinical Outcomes in Cystic Fibrosis in the UK
  • The Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Treatment and Healthcare Use in the UK
  • Longitudinal Employment Status in People with CF
  • Social Inequalities, Even for Genetic Diseases
  • Inequalities from the Start
  • Health Services and Heath Inequalities in CF
  • What Are the Implications for Policy and Clinicians?
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 6. Moving Towards a Better Understanding of Socioeconomic Inequalities in Preventive Health Care Use: A Life Course Perspective
  Sarah Missinne.
  • Introduction
  • Theoretical Models on Preventive Health Care Inequalities
  • Preventive Health Care Inequalities Along the Five Principles of the Life Course Perspective
  • Conclusion
  • References
• 7. Inter-Cohort Variation in the Consequences of U.S. Military Service for Men’s Mid- to Late-Life Body Mass Index Trajectories
  Janet M. Wilmoth, Andrew S. London, and Christine L. Himes.
  • Military Service and Physical Health
  • Military Service and Body Weight
  • The Current Investigation
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Acknowledgement
  • References
• 8. Linear Mixed-Effects and Latent Curve Models for Longitudinal Life Course Analyses
  Paolo Ghisletta, Olivier Renaud, Nadège Jacot, and Delphine Courvoisier.
  • Introduction
  • The Rationale and Objectives of Longitudinal Research
  • A Linear Model of Change
  • An Illustration from the Swiss Household Panel
  • Three Notable Extensions
  • Conclusions
  • Appendix
  • References
• 9. The Analysis of Individual Health Trajectories Across the Life Course: Latent Class Growth Models Versus Mixed Models
  Trynke Hoekstra and Jos W. R. Twisk.
  • Introduction
  • The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study
  • Analysis of Health Trajectories Over Time: Mixed Models
  • Analysis of Health Trajectories Over Time: Latent Class Growth Models
  • Comparing Mixed Models and Latent Class Growth Models
  • Conclusion
  • References
• 10. Age, Period and Cohort Processes in Longitudinal and Life Course Analysis: A Multilevel Perspective
  Andrew Bell and Kelvyn Jones.
  • Introduction
  • The Age-Period-Cohort Identification Problem
  • ‘Solutions’ to the APC Identification Problem
  • How to Model APC Effects Robustly
  • Example: APC Effects on Mental Health with the BHPS
  • Conclusions
  • References