Baby boomers living longer, but in poorer health than previous generations

News

7 October 2024

Baby boomers – people born in the late 1940s and 1950s – in England, the US and Europe are more likely to experience multiple health problems in their later years than their earlier born counterparts.

Researchers from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and the University of Oxford found that rates of chronic disease, obesity and disability had increased across successive generations during the 20th century. Their new study, published in the Journals of Gerontology, reveals that the baby boomers were more likely than the generations before them to have cancer, lung disease, heart problems, diabetes, and high cholesterol as they entered their 50s and 60s.

Lead author, Laura Gimeno (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) said: “With people living longer, our new study confirms that they are not necessarily spending their later years in good health. We find that there is a ‘generational health drift’, whereby younger generations tend to have worse health than previous generations at the same age. Even with advances in medicine and greater public awareness about healthy living, people born since 1945 are at greater risk of chronic illness and disability than their predecessors. With up to a fifth of the population in high-income Western nations now over 65, increasing demands for health and social care will have huge implications on government spending.”

What the researchers looked at

The research team analysed data on the health and mobility of multiple generations of people aged 50 and above in England, the US and continental Europe who are taking part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the US-based Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Drawing on information collected from more than 100,000 people between 2004-2018, they examined participants’ reports of doctor-diagnosed chronic illness and BMI, records on mobility issues and disability, as well as objective data on BMI, grip strength and blood pressure.

The report’s authors separated the study participants into five groups defined by their birth year, corresponding to the following generations: the greatest generation (born before 1925), the early silent generation (born 1925–1935), the late silent generation (1936–1945), early baby boomers (1946–1955), and late baby boomers (1955–1959).

Increasing rates of chronic disease

Rates of chronic disease increased across successive generations in all regions, with more recently born adults being more likely to have cancer, lung disease, heart problems, diabetes, and high cholesterol than their predecessors at the same age.

Although prevalence of diabetes rose at the same rate across all regions, diagnoses of cancer, heart problems and high cholesterol increased the most in England and continental Europe, with baby boomers one and a half times more likely to have these issues than those born earlier. Increases in lung disease and high blood pressure were most apparent in Europe and the US. For example, baby boomers on the continent were almost three times as likely to have chronic bronchitis or emphysema than their earlier born counterparts.

The study found that more recent generations were more likely to be obese than their predecessors in all regions except in Southern Europe (Italy, Spain and Greece). People in Scandinavia experienced the greatest increases in BMI, with baby boomers in Denmark and Sweden one and half times as likely to be obese than their earlier born peers. Levels of grip strength, which is a clinical marker for overall muscle strength and healthy ageing, decreased across generations in England and the US, but either increased or remained constant in Europe.

Disability trends

While rates of disability declined across pre-war generations, this trend appeared to slow, stall or reverse for later-born groups. In most regions, post-war generations were just as likely or more likely than their predecessors to report difficulties with personal care tasks such as bathing and eating, or daily tasks such as walking short distances and shopping for groceries. For instance, baby boomers in the UK were almost one and half times more likely to experience difficulties performing three or more personal care tasks compared to their earlier born peers at the same age.

Policy implications

Ms Gimeno added: “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 pre-war 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. However, even with the baby boomers at greater risk of experiencing chronic disease, it is not inevitable that they will experience a worsening quality of life and increasing disability provided these conditions are well managed.

“Nonetheless, if this generational health drift does result in people spending more years in poor health, this will have considerable implications for health and social care expenditure and for how funding is allocated across these services. Worsening health in younger cohorts at the same age also has important employment policy implications, as national governments seek to extend working lives to respond to the challenge of population ageing.”