Despite advances in medicine and increased awareness of healthy lifestyles, baby boomers are living longer but are in worse health than previous generations at the same age. revealed in a research study.
Researchers found that people in their 50s and 60s are more likely to have serious health problems by the time they reach that age than people born before or during World War II. discovered.
Experts from the University of Oxford and University of London (UCL) said the results could not be explained by people living longer. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and other diseases were all affecting people in younger age groups.
Rates of disease and disability have increased across generations over the past century, according to research published in the Journals of Gerontology.
Lead author Laura Gimeno, from UCL, said there was an “intergenerational health bias”, with younger generations tending to have poorer health than previous generations of the same age.
“Despite medical advances and increased public awareness about healthy living, people born after 1945 are at higher risk of chronic disease and disability than previous generations.
“With up to a fifth of the population of high-income Western countries now aged 65 and over, increased demand for health care and social security will have a major impact on government spending.”
Researchers analyzed health data from more than 100,000 people from 2004 to 2018 across several generations over the age of 50 in the UK, US and Europe.
They found that rates of chronic disease were increased, especially when comparing people born between 1936 and 1945 with those born between 1955 and 1959.
Chronic disease rates are increasing across generations in all regions, with recently born adults experiencing more cancer, lung disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol than previous generations of the same age. There was a high chance of getting sick.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes increased at the same rate in all regions, but diagnoses of cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol increased most in the UK and Europe, where baby boomers surpassed their predecessors over the same period. were 1.5 times more likely to have these problems than women. year.
Levels of grip strength, a good measure of overall muscle strength and healthy aging, decreased across generations in the UK and America, but increased or remained constant in Europe.
Most people of the postwar generation were as likely or more likely than previous generations to struggle with tasks such as bathing, eating, walking short distances, and shopping for groceries.
“Our study finds worrying new evidence that recently-born generations are experiencing worsening health outcomes as they enter later life,” Jimeno said.
“Despite declines in disability rates among pre-war generations, increases in chronic disease and obesity may be spilling over into severe disability among baby boomers.
“If life expectancy remains stable or continues to increase, these worrying trends could mean that young people will spend more years in poor health and with disability.”
