02 May Baby Boomers Appear to Be Less Healthy Than Our Parents
Psychological Article on Baby Boomers: Comparing Health of Boomers to Elderly Problems of older Generations
Psychological Article on Elderly Problems
Lifestyles change as do the variables that we use to gauge that change. Health is correlated to the increase or decrease of sickness, the single variable by which we judge the most important aspect of a person’s lifestyle. But sickness or health is closely related to one’s state of mind, manner of working, social and family structures. That is why psychological articles have stated that in spite of regular gym attendance, avoiding smoking or red meat and following the general prescriptions for a healthier lifestyle, baby boomers are ending up less healthy than their parents.
This is largely attested by the fact that high cholesterol, heart ailments, blood pressure and diabetes have a higher prevalence among the baby boomer age group than their parents’ generation. The prime cause lies in a number of unhealthy trends, first and foremost of which is an increasingly obese and overweight population. Such weight problems exist in two thirds of the population and causes high blood pressure, more wear and tear on joints, diabetes, and other associated problems. Despite better understanding of health problems, baby boomers are less physically active as their work is mostly sedentary in nature and we hardly ever voluntarily walk, take the stairs, or do routine physical movements. This has caused baby boomers to physically deteriorate, in spite of better access to health care.
This data presented in numerous psychological articles is more surprising considering that baby boomers are more likely to have attended college thereby being more educated than their parents. However, this has not resulted in everyone having a healthier lifestyle. This correlation has been misunderstood primarily because physical health hasn’t been linked with psychological well being. Work stress coupled with more processed food and sedentary lifestyles have been major culprits. Therefore, nagging elderly problems have become common and often develop into serious illness if not rectified early.
Another interesting factor highlighted in psychological articles contributing to elderly problems that show baby boomers to be less healthy than their parents is changing family structures and social norms, for example, a working women today doesn’t have an extended family to help raise a new born child, or any help and support in a emotional crisis. This causes stress and pressures that were previously dealt with through family support, and has reached acute proportions for boomers juggling two jobs, raising kids and helping with grandkids, and delivering on other commitments. The major effects of such a change are on the elderly problem of the emotional well being of a population that has not yet devised mechanisms to resolve such issues.
The consequences of reduced health and chronic disease will be a constant headache for policy makers in the years to come. The brighter side is that we baby boomers are well familiar with the fact that statistics can be deceptive. While psychological articles tell us that baby boomers are not as healthy as our parents were, it may well be that as diagnostic procedures become more sophisticated, baby boomers are benefiting from earlier diagnosis that were not previously detectable; thereby getting healthcare at an early stage. Moreover, life expectancy has steadily risen over the decades; seemingly discrediting the psychological articles that say today’s baby boomers are less healthy than their parents were at the same age.
It’s an interesting debate. We at BoomerYearbook belive knowledge is power. We’d love to hear what you think.
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