Projecting the Health Behaviors & Lifestyle-Related Chronic Conditions of the American Baby Boom: A Lifecourse Perspective

Rebecca Utz, University of Michigan

This project utilizes a theoretical framework from the life course paradigm to explore the combined role of historical, structural, and individual-level factors on a variety of midlife health behaviors (e.g., diet and exercise) and lifestyle-related health conditions (e.g., obesity and diabetes). With a particular emphasis on the American baby boom generation (born 1946-1964), analyses ponder how the boomers' experience of late-life health will be different from that of previous generations (inter-cohort differences) and whether particular subgroups within the baby boom cohort will be more likely to adopt high-risk health behaviors (intra-cohort differences). Findings offer considerable insight into the health-related needs and preferences of the American baby boom generation, while theoretical discussions illustrate the usefulness of the life course model to organize the multitude of factors associated with midlife health behaviors.