According to a global study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford and University College London (UCL), members of the baby boomer generation are living longer. However, their health is worse compared to previous generations, despite significant advancements in medicine and increased awareness of healthy lifestyles.
Baby boomers, or “boomers,” refer to individuals born between 1944 and 1967. This generation earned its name due to the surge in birth rates following World War II.
The researchers found that people currently over the age of 57 are more likely to experience health issues than those born earlier.
These findings contradict the notion that baby boomers live longer than members of other generations, the scientists stated. Many boomers suffered from obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other ailments even in their youth.
The study revealed that over the past century, the rates of illness and disability have increased from generation to generation. As lead author Laura Himeno from UCL noted, there has been a “health drift” among generations, where younger cohorts generally exhibit worse health than their predecessors.
Despite medical advancements and heightened public awareness about healthy living, baby boomers face a greater risk of chronic diseases and disabilities, the researcher reported.
What Did the Researchers Discover?
The team analyzed health data from over 100,000 participants from England, the U.S., and Europe between 2004 and 2018. The study included boomers and their predecessors from the so-called “silent generation” (1925-1944).
Researchers found that the prevalence of chronic diseases increased from generation to generation among all participants, regardless of their location, as reported by The Guardian. However, younger volunteers, specifically boomers, experienced more issues with lung and heart health, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and cancer compared to their predecessors.
While the number of individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes rose at a similar rate across all regions, the diagnosis of cancer, heart problems, and high cholesterol progressed most significantly in England and Europe. In fact, boomers were 1.5 times more likely to develop these conditions than older generations at the same age.
The grip strength, a classic indicator of overall muscle strength and healthy aging, decreased from older to younger participants in England and the U.S., but either increased or remained stable in Europe.
Most individuals born after World War II reported more difficulties than their predecessors at the same age with tasks such as bathing, eating, walking short distances, and grocery shopping.
This indicates that the study provided evidence that baby boomers are experiencing a more pronounced decline in health as they age.
“If life expectancy remains stable or continues to rise, these concerning trends may lead younger generations to spend more years in poor health and with disabilities,” Ms. Himeno concluded. This suggests that many baby boomers may face a long, yet challenging, old age in terms of their well-being.
The study’s findings were published in the Journals of Gerontology.