In a recent study, Researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London found that baby boomers have worse health conditions than previous generations at their age, yet they are living longer. They are calling this a “generational health drift.”
This data is made up of people 50 years or older in the UK and 51 and older in the US. These specifics were taken from more than 100,000 people from 2004-2018.
Laura Gimeno who is a doctoral candidate at UCL and led this study said, “We found that Baby Boomers are more likely to have doctor-diagnosed diabetes, high cholesterol, heart problems, and a variety of other chronic health conditions compared to previous generations at the same age”.
The study saw increases in lung disease, cancer, heart issues, high cholesterol, type two diabetes, and high cholesterol when comparing this generation to their parents. This less than ideal increase was found when comparing people born from1936 and 1945 and those born from 1955 to 1959.
Gimeno made it clear that while living longer is a great goal, living in good health should continue to be a main focus. “Our study finds concerning new evidence that more recently born generations are experiencing worsening health as they enter their later years…Despite declining rates of disability for the prewar generations, chronic disease and increasing obesity may be spilling over into severe disability for the baby boomers. If life expectancy remains stable or continues to increase, these worrying trends may see younger generations spending more years in poor health and living with disability,” she said.
