Healthy youth then, healthy adults now? Strategic planning for the midlife follow-up of the Victoria Healthy Youth Survey

Adolescence (ages 12-18) and young adulthood (ages 19-29) are typically the time when individuals establish autonomy and independence, develop healthy habits (e.g., exercise and nutritional food preferences), form and maintain healthy relationships, and build capacity for economic success. Poor physical health and health habits in these life periods contribute to later risks for disease and associated costs. Yet, we do not have Canadian data that connect health across adolescence and young adulthood to long-term health in early mid-life (ages 35-45). The proposed project builds on an existing and robust community-based sample, the Victoria Health Youth Survey (V-HYS) which began in 2003 (N=662; ages 12-18). Our team will partner with Drs. Fyfe and Kay (Island Health) and Dr. Thumath (Ministry of Health) to develop a plan to collect follow-up data from these now adults including evidence-based measures of physical health, mental health, substance use, healthy relationships, and social determinants of health. Our partnerships will ensure findings provide information about what matters for health long-term for Canadians and inform policy responses that can support midlife health, mental health, education, labour, and social supports.