U.S. boomers less healthy than their parents

BABY boomers in the U.S. are living longer than their parents, but that doesn't mean they're healthier, says a study* that compared the overall reported health status of aging baby boomers -- those born from 1946 to 1964 -- with the previous generation by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (Online First).

Medicine has improved significantly during baby boomers' lifetimes, the study background said; however while these advantages have led to a progressively increasing life expectancy, previous studies have shown mixed results regarding whether baby boomers are healthier than prior generations.

Dana E. King, M.D., M.S., of the West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, and colleagues examined the health status of aging baby boomers relative to the previous generation to provide a vitally important context for health workforce and policy planning in the coming years.

According to their findings, the overall health status was lower among baby boomers with 13.2% reporting “excellent” health compared with 32% of individuals in the previous generation. Obesity was more common among baby boomers (38.7% obese vs. 29.4%) and more than half of the baby boomers reported no regular physical activity (52.2% vs. 17.4%). The average age of the participants in groups studied was about 54 years, according to the study results.

“Despite their longer life expectancy over previous generations, U.S. baby boomers have higher rates of chronic disease, more disability and lower self-rated health than members of the previous generation at the same age. On a positive note, baby boomers are less likely to smoke cigarettes and experience lower rates of emphysema and myocardial infarction than the previous generation,” according to the study.