Do generations differ in sports participation and physical activity over the life course? Evidence from multiple datasets.

Generational differences in health-related factors will affect forecasts of future disease patterns and health care needs. We studied whether participation in sports activity and being physically active are different between 10-year generations over a part of their life course. We used three different datasets on Dutch adults: a cohort study running for 20 years, the Doetinchem Cohort Study (DCS), multiple yearly databases (2001-2015) from the Netherlands health interview study (HIS), and a retrospective cohort study on life time sports careers, the Sports Participation Monitor (SPM).

[59 important health problems; a selection of diseases for public health monitoring].

Listing the top diseases is important for an overview of population health. These lists reduce the thousands of diseases to a compact selection that enables policy makers and researchers to set priorities in public health and health care. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment uses such a selection for the Public Health Status and Forecast, a four-yearly overview of population health.