Introduction: Claudine Burton-Jeangros, Stéphane Cullati, Amanda Sacker and David Blane -- Trajectories and transitions in childhood and adolescent obesity: Laura Howe, Riz Firestone, Kate Tilling and Debbie Lawlor -- Oral health over the life course: Anja Heilmann, Georgios Tsakos and Richard Watt -- A life course perspective on body size and cardio-metabolic health: William Johnson, Diana Kuh and Rebecca Hardy -- Health trajectories in people with cystic fibrosis in the UK: exploring the effect of social deprivation: David Taylor-Robinson, Peter Diggle, Rosalind Smith and Margaret Whitehead -- Moving towards a better understanding of socioeconomic inequalities in preventive health care use: a life course perspective: Sarah Missine -- In Inter-Cohort Variation in the Consequences of U.S. Military Service on Men’s Body Mass Index Trajectories in Mid- to Late-Life: Janet Wilmoth, Andrew London and Christine Himes -- Linear mixed-effects and latent curve models for longitudinal life course analyses: Paolo Ghisletta, Olivier Renaud, Nadège Jacot and Delphine Courvoisier -- The analysis of individual health trajectories across the life course: Latent class growth models versus mixed models: Trynke Hoekstra and Jos Twisk -- Age, period and cohort processes in longitudinal and life course analysis: a multilevel perspective: Andrew Bell and Kelvyn Jones.

Open Access

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.