Baby Boomers Significantly Less Healthy Than Their Parents Were
The health habits of the Baby Boom Generation are under full indictment in the
latest edition of JAMA Internal Medicine. A recent study sheds light on the general
misconception that, because they have an increased life expectancy, that members of
the Baby Boom Generation are healthier than their parents were at a similar age.
The study found that Baby Boomers in particular had a higher instance of chronic
disease and a higher likelihood of disability than their parents generation did. This
information also held up from a self-rated perspective by individual respondents.
The data sourced for the study was from two periods. The first was from 1988 to 1994
and the second was from 2007 to 2010. All of the data was from participants between
the ages of 48 and 64.
More than twice as many people today are using walking assistance devices and those
whose work options were limited by disability rose from around 10% to 13%. Obesity
also rose significantly from 29% all the way up to 39% amongst Baby Boomers.
The real crisis point is likely in respondents description of daily activity with individuals
engaged in no physical activity at all. It was listed at 17% in the 1988/1994 group and
rose to a whopping 52% in the 2007/2010 group.
Hypertension rates were also up by a solid margin – to 43% from around 36% in
previous years. Use of medication to treat hypertension rose by nearly twice the margin
to 35% from 23%.
32% of members of the previous generation listed their health as excellent – only 13% of
Baby Boomers did the same between 2007 and 2010.
According to the data released by the JAMA study, not every statistic reflected
negatively on baby boomers. During the 1988/1994 study, around 27% described
themselves as smokers. In the 2007/2010 group, that number dropped to around 21%.
One of the most dramatic jumps was in the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, which
rose from 1.5% to nearly 26%.
It’s a clear indication of why overall quality of life is such an important issue in
measuring the health of a society – not just life expectancy. As Baby Boomers begin
shifting into their later years, they must begin embracing a more active, less stressful
lifestyle with a focus on preventative healthcare.
This study is further proof of the need for more science-based information about health
and wellness and why we need to get beyond the headlines and start looking at real
data, collected by experts in their fields.
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