A new study from South Australia has found that most people don’t change their diet or exercise habits much after they retire.
This suggests that building healthy habits earlier in life—while you’re still working—may be the best way to protect your health as you age.
The study used data from the long-running Household Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey and was published in the journal Economic Analysis and Policy. Researchers looked at how retirement affects people’s weight, diet, and exercise levels.
Surprisingly, they found very little change. According to Associate Professor Ilke Onur from Flinders University, retirement doesn’t seem to have much effect on body weight for either men or women. However, men who had been retired for longer showed a slight drop in obesity levels. For women, retirement duration made no difference in weight.
The study also found that physical activity increases a bit after people retire, but this increase mostly replaces physical effort that came from work. So, while people may be a little more active, it’s not a big enough change to affect weight for most.
When it came to food choices, the researchers found almost no change. People continued eating the same kinds of food as before, even after they stopped working. This means that most Australians don’t change their diet after retirement.
The team behind the study included experts from Flinders University and the University of Adelaide. They say these findings highlight an important message: we shouldn’t wait until retirement to start taking care of our health. Healthy habits need to begin earlier in life.
The researchers also say that governments and communities can help by promoting more opportunities for exercise and healthy living at all ages—not just for retirees.
They suggest creating more community programs for older adults and better infrastructure for things like walking and group exercise classes. These programs could help retirees stay active and connected, which may improve both their health and quality of life.
Obesity is a serious problem worldwide. It’s the fifth leading cause of death, and for older adults, the risks are even higher. Obesity increases the chances of having heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. It can also make it harder to move around and stay independent.
This study adds to what we know about how retirement affects health. It shows that waiting until retirement to make big health changes may not work. Instead, starting earlier with healthy habits—especially while still working—might be more effective.
Associate Professor Onur says that workplace wellness programs could be a smart way to help people build long-term healthy habits. If people already eat well and stay active before they retire, they may be more likely to stay healthy in later life.
The world’s population is aging fast. By 2030, one out of every six people will be over 60 years old. By 2050, that number is expected to double. In Australia, about 16% of people were aged 65 and over in 2020. By 2066, that number could rise to more than 20% of the population.
As people live longer, it becomes even more important to make sure those extra years are healthy ones. This study shows that healthy aging begins long before retirement—and that starting early can make a big difference in how we feel and live later in life.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about plant nutrient that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
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