Baby boomers may be heavier and more disabled as they get older

Older Americans entering their 70s aren’t functioning as well as the generations that came before them, a new study shows.

That may predict that baby boomers will have higher disability rates in their “golden years.”

The study compared disability measurements, which assess how well an individual can perform daily activities, such as walking up a flight of stairs, managing personal finances, and performing household chores.

The study doesn't explain why more people are becoming disabled as they enter their later years, reports the Los Angeles Times article “Baby Boomers May Face High Disability Rates.” However, Teresa E. Seeman, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at University of California at Los Angeles’ David Geffen School of Medicine, is quoted in the article as saying:

Rising levels of obesity appear to be the major factor; the greatest increases in disabilities were among non-whites and people who were obese or overweight. Normal-weight individuals do not show a trend of increasing disabilities. It does seem to be that the increase is restricted to the groups that are overweight and obese. But part of the problem is that more and more people are overweight and obese.

Baby boomers can improve their chances of being active and healthy as they get older by losing weight.

Here are resources on weight loss:

“Weight Loss for Life” – National Institutes of Health

“Good News for Women Trying to Lose Weight” – About.com

“Resources for People Who Want to Lose Weight” – Diabetes Spectrum

“10 Painless Ways to Lose Weight” – WebMD

“Top 10 Diet and Nutrition Resolutions” – MedicineNet.com

“Dieting on a Budget” – ConsumerReports.org

“Top Diets Reviewed” – ConsumerReports.org

“Rating the Diet Books” – Center for Science in the Public Interest

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Comments

[kinall]

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