The baby boom generation is known for pushing their bodies to exercise more and for striving for healthier diets. They appear to be healthier than their parents in some important ways. Boomers smoke less, have fewer cases of emphysema and have fewer heart attacks, according to a recent study appearing in JAMA Internal Medicine and featured on a segment of NPR's "All Things Considered."
However, the number of boomers with diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity is growing steadily. And more people in their late 40s to mid 60s were found to be disabled and unable to work the researchers said. This increase in disabilities, however, could be an indirect result of the physical and psychological stress resulting from years of a poor economy and tough job market for people over 50.
The researchers examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to compare the two generations.
Part of the reason boomers appear sicker than their parents is that they are more likely to visit doctors and to be diagnosed and treated for diseases their parents didn't know they had, the researchers note. While some bommers might live longer than their parents, the study sconcludes, they are racking up more knee operations and taking more medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
When asked to describe their overall health, the study said, only 13 percent of boomers said they were in excellent health compared with 33 percent a generation ago, and twice as many said they were in poor health.
Comment: Obesity, poor eating habits, longer work hours and greater family responsibilities (aging parents or chronically ill mates) are contributing to health challenges that threaten to drastically increase health care spending in the baby boom generation. Boomers know they need to better control their diets, increase their exercise and control their stress, but the medical community will have to continue to educate and perhaps take more drastic steps in the future to curb the increase in health risks among this generation.
