Baby boomers living longer but are in worse health than previous generations

Baby boomers are living longer but are in worse health than previous generations were at the same age, despite advances in medicine and greater awareness of healthy lifestyles, a global study shows.

Researchers found people in their 50s and 60s were more likely to have serious health problems than people who were born before or during the second world war when they reached that age.

The results cannot be explained by people living longer, experts at the University of Oxford and University College London (UCL) said. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other diseases were all affecting people at younger ages.

Rates of illness and disability increased across successive generations during the last century, according to the findings published in the Journals of Gerontology.

The lead author, Laura Gimeno, of UCL, said there was a “generational health drift”, with younger generations tending to have worse health than previous generations at the same age.

“Even with advances in medicine and greater public awareness about healthy living, people born since 1945 are at greater risk of chronic illness and disability than their predecessors.

“With up to a fifth of the population in high-income western nations now over 65, increasing demands for health and social care will have huge implications on government spending.”

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Source: The Guardian, 7 October 2024