Leefstijl van 55-64-jarige Nederlanders in 2002/'03 minder gezond dan in 1992/'93

Objective. To describe the lifestyle of men and women aged 55-64 years in the Netherlands in 2002/'03 and compare it with the lifestyle of people of the same age in 1992/'93. Design. Descriptive. Method. Data were used from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. The study comprised two randomly selected samples from local municipal registers in 1992/'93 (n = 966) and 2002/'03 (n = 1002), stratified according to sex, age and expected 5-year survival. Participants were from II municipalities in the west, northeast and south of the Netherlands. Data were collected from interviews, measurements and a written questionnaire. The response was 62% in 1992/'93 and 57% in 2002/'03. Results. In 1992/'93, 9.5% of the men and 20.5% of the women were obese. Ten years later these percentages were 18.4 and 27.5. The percentage of current smokers was stable over time and included one-third of men and one-quarter of women. More people used alcohol in 2002/'03; excessive alcohol use was found in 15.7% of the men (11.7% in 1992/'93) and 19.5% of the women (11.1% in 1992/'93). The energy expended through walking, bicycling, household activities and sports was one-fifth less in 2002/'03. Conclusion. The lifestyle of people aged 55-64 years in the Netherlands was less healthy in 2002/'03 than in 1992/'93. Because positive changes in lifestyle can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, functional limitations and early death, more attention to healthy living is necessary in this age group.