Are Boomers Less Healthy Than Their Parents?
A growing body of data is pointing to the surprising finding that the baby-boom generation may be less healthy
than its parents were at the same age. A 2008 National Center for Health Statistics survey finds a substantial 18 percent of 45-to-64-year-olds reporting difficulties in physical functioning. This figure has been growing over the past decade. More than 8 percent of 45- to-64-year-olds say it would be difficult or impossible for them to walk even a quarter of a mile. Ten percent say they cannot stand for two hours, and 11 percent cannot stoop, bend, or kneel. The number of self-reported days of poor physical and mental health have climbed in nearly every age group under age 65, but the biggest gains have been among the 45-to-64-year-olds. People aged 45 to 54 are most likely to report prolonged periods of poor mental health. Twelve percent--or one in eight--have spent at least two weeks of the past month struggling with mental health issues.

An analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Americans aged 50 and older, finds that boomers born between 1948 and 1953 are in poorer health than were their older counterparts, born between 1936 and 1941, at the same age. Boomers report more difficulty with physical activities, more chronic conditions, more pain, and more psychiatric problems. What could be causing boomers' greater health problems? The academics who analyzed the Health and Retirement Study data suggest that boomers may be overly aware of medical maladies because of widespread health screening and prescription drug advertising. They also suggest that boomers may be less accepting than older generations of the physiological changes that accompany aging. In other words, it's all in their heads. But could there be more to it? Boomers, after all, are far more likely to be overweight than their parents were at the same age. Among women, weight peaks at 172 pounds in the 50-to-59 age group. Among men, the peak is 202 pounds among 40-to-49-year-olds. Excess weight could explain boomers' increased difficulty in getting around. Stress might explain the rest. Throughout their lives, boomers have faced unprecedented competition in the job and housing markets--lowering wages and driving up the cost of living. Never have those stresses been greater than they are today. At the same time, their parents are living longer and their adult children are more dependent on them than ever before. Labor force participation rates among 16-to-24-year-olds are at a record low. Without work, young adults are moving back in with mom and dad who are increasingly ill-equipped—physically and emotionally--to deal with the added burden of care.
Source: American Consumers Newsletter, January 12, 2010, Cheryl Russell, Editorial Director, New Strategist
Publications.