Baby Boomers are living longer than previous generations but have worse health, study finds

A study has found that Baby Boomers are more likely to have worse health than previous generations, despite living longer. (skynesher/E+/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

LONDON — Baby Boomers may be expected to live longer than their predecessors, but a recent study has found that they are more likely to suffer from worse health than previous generations.

Researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London (UCL) found that people born since 1945 have worse health than previous generations at the same age, resulting in what they call a "generational health drift."

"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," said Laura Gimeno, a doctoral candidate at UCL and lead author of the study, in an email to CNN Monday. She added that there was also little evidence for improvements in disability rates.

The study, published in the Journals of Gerontology, looked at health data collected from more than 100,000 people between 2004 and 2018.

The data came from adults aged 51 or older in the United States and those aged 50 or older in England and continental Europe. It covered several generations, including the Greatest Generation (born before 1925) and Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1959), according to the study.

Across all the regions examined, the prevalence of diabetes and high cholesterol rose at the same rate while diagnoses of cancer, heart problems and high cholesterol increased the most in England and continental Europe.

Body mass index (BMI) was also analyzed, with researchers finding that age-adjusted obesity increased across post-war cohorts – except for those in southern Europe.

Levels of grip strength, used to measure overall muscle strength and disability risk, were found to decrease across the US and England but remained the same or increased in some other parts of Europe.

"Such regional differences likely reflect differences in the balance of nutritional improvements and declines in physical activity," the study said.

While previous studies have already shown that health is deteriorating among the Baby Boomer generation in the United States, Gimeno and her colleges were able to show how similar patterns can be seen in England and continental Europe.

The results were "generally similar" for men and women, according to Gimeno, but more work needs to be done to understand how variables like gender and nationality drive these changes.

Younger post-war cohorts, like Generation X, are also at risk of worse health than the generation preceding them, Gimeno said.

"Generation X were more likely to be obese, have diabetes, and be in poor mental health than Baby Boomers in their 40s," said Gimeno. "The fact that we aren't seeing an improvement here is concerning."

As population aging is expected to accelerate due to increasing life expectancy and long-term declines in fertility, Gimeno emphasised the need for more prevention, to help people avoid developing these illnesses in the first place.

This latest research seems to fit a growing trend.

In 2020, a study suggested that Gen X faced more years of ill health than Baby Boomers, with people in their 40s and 50s found to be in worse physical shape than people in their 60s and early 70s were at the same age.

The analysis of 135,000 people living in England suggested that although they're living longer, their lives weren't necessarily healthier. Researchers described the finding as a concerning trend.