Generation X is in worse health than their ancestors
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If the population lives longer and longer, it does not enjoy better health. A study reveals that people in their 40s are in worse shape than those in their 60s at the same age.
Certainly the fault of our current way of life.
The new generation is not in good health. According to an English study, people in their forties are less physically fit than those in their 60s. This analysis was conducted on 135,189 people living in England. As part of this research, the scientists compared people aged 25-64 whose health was monitored between 1991 and 2014 in the England Health Survey, an annual survey of English families. In addition to the responses to the various questionnaires, the nurses also measured the participants' blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and glycated hemoglobin.
The researchers report that while life expectancy is increasing, the new generation is not in better health. A disturbing trend: "In the early 20th century, an increase in life expectancy went hand in hand with an increase in life span in good health: younger generations lived longer and in better health," begins George Ploubidis, professor of health and demographic statistics at University College London and author of the study.
And then he adds: "It seems that, for generations born between 1945 and 1980, this trend has stagnated. People born later should live longer on average, but with more years of poor health." Through their observations, the researchers found that people born later reported the same or higher prevalence of general illness, long-term illness, and high blood pressure compared to those born earlier. Additionally, later-born participants were also more likely to have diabetes, circulatory disease, hypertension, and being overweight than older adults. The findings of this study were published in the journal Population Studies.
The impact of lifestyle.
Specifically, as CNN reports, more than 78% of 44-year-old men born in 1970 were overweight, compared to 71% of 44-year-old men born in 1958, according to the researchers. Another finding is that 16% of 56-year-old men born in 1958 have high blood sugar levels, compared to 9% of 56-year-old men born in 1946.
Men born later were more likely to report high blood pressure, although this was not the case for women, the study found. According to research, more than half of the additional life expectancy for 25-year-old men and women between 1993 and 2003 was spent in poor health.
"The additional life expectancy: We expected the proportion spent on good health to remain constant. But, we found that the proportion of life spent on poor health becomes even higher, which is quite remarkable." Stephen Jivraj summarizes.
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