Tracking and prediction of health-related behaviour and physiological risk factors: 27 years follow up of a prospective cohort study

Worldwide the prevalence of overweight and obesity have increased the last decades. Obesity is associated with increased mortality, reduced life expectancy and an increase in several chronic diseases. It is important to identify risk factors for obesity t o make effective prevention strategies. Only few studies have investigated stability of body weight to the age of 40 years. Several lifestyle factors are found to be related to body weight and physiological factors, but how these factors work together is not thoroughly investigated and only few studies have investigated long term development of risk factors for overweight. The 27 years follow-up of the established cohort study "The Oslo Youth Study" starting in 1979 (participants' age 13 to 41 years), giv es the possibility to study stability of BMI, dietary habits, smoking, physical activity and physiological factors from age 13 to 41 years and the prediction of these variables at age 41. Also the long term effect of the school based health education prog ramme implemented in the Oslo Youth Study in 1979 will be studied. Those who have participated in the Oslo Youth Study in a former wave of the study and who lives in Norway will be invited to participate in the 27 years follow-up (N=835). The participants will get a health examination by their GP where height, weight, waist and hip ratio and blood pressure will be measured. Blood samples will be drawn by the GP and analyzed for cholesterol, triglycerides, antioxidant status and glycosylated hemoglobin. Th e GP will get 200 NOK for each participant he/she examines and the participant will get a gift card worth NOK 300. Data on diet, smoking, physical activity and demographic factors will be collected by questionnaires. This study gives a unique possibility to study health habits and physiological co-factors in a lifespan perspective.