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3.II.(d)   Many Australian Baby Boomers are very unhealthy and incurring high Health Care Costs, albeit a small percentage is due to "over-doing it with exercise"

Baby Boomers now outnumber Australians under 16.

A leading authority on boomers, Professor George Moschis from U.S. Georgia State University has interviewed thousands of Baby Boomers in the past 20 years:

"The baby boomers are in worse health than previous generations of the same age, and they are terrified."

"Baby boomers are more likely than previous generations to report difficulty climbing stairs, getting up from a chair and doing other routine activities.  A higher percentage also have chronic problems such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes."

Statistics confirm that weight-related illnesses are on the rise among the greying army, putting them at increased risk of heart disease, their weight makes them more vulnerable to arthritis.

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health reveals that arthritis cases among baby boomers, attributed to obesity, rose from 3% to 18% between 1971 and 2002.  Time-crunched lifestyles – a fast food, high-fat diet and irregular eating patterns – are often blamed for the expanding waistlines of the middle-aged, but experts say the real problem is inactivity.  But many boomers have daily routines dominated by staring at a piece of plastic and talking into other pieces of plastic at a work stations and they drive to and from work.

British health expert Louise Sutton, from Leeds Metropolitan University said in June 2007 the Sedentary Lifestyle was taking its toll.

"People today actually eat fewer calories than people in the '50s," she said. "The real reason they are getting fatter is that they are not active enough."

Fifty years ago, activity levels of the average person who did household chores, walked rather than drove to shops and spent more time outdoors than in front of the television or computer, were the equivalent of walking about 5km a day.  Today, many struggle to do that amount of exercise in a week.

 

Rachelle Foreman, Director of Cardiovascular Health Programs at Australia's Heart Foundation, said in June 2007 the ill health of Baby Boomers was a huge drain on resources.

"Heart disease is causing people of this age to leave the workforce early, which means there are less people to pay taxes but more people needing health care."

 

"It's a big strain on all resources.  Baby Boomers have a tendency to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to their health."

Heart disease is the largest cause of death in Australia.  About 55% of men and 60% of women, aged 65 to 74 suffer from it.  Ms Foreman said people over 40 needed to have an annual health check with their GP.

 

Diabetes is another real danger. A spokeswoman for Diabetes Australia said: "The typical baby boomer has grown up on an diet of steak and three veg.

"They have never done a lot of exercise, have done sedentary jobs.  Before they know it they're at the end of their career and 'bang', they've got diabetes.  That's the wake-up call that causes them to change their diet and start exercising."

 

Rose-Anne Kelso, state president of Diabetes Australia, said a growing number of baby boomers were developing Type II Diabetes.

"Being a Baby Boomer myself, I know that they get caught up in life and forget about health."

 

"They tend to think they are a little bit invincible because they have seen all these new medical developments.  What they need to do is to stop and take stock of their lives and think more about how they can keep healthy.  For many it is the first time they . . . need to make an effort with their health, and that doesn't come easy if you've neglected it your whole life."

Claire Small, a Brisbane sports physiotherapist:

"A lot more older people with injuries because they haven't got the balance of their exercise right.  Muscle loss usually begins in the mid-40s and may drop by as much as 10% after the age of 50."

"As you get older, you also lose water content from all the body's structures, including cartilage that protects joints."

"Tissues become weaker and less compliant, all of which means injuries happen more easily."

"Regular exercise helps to reduce these effects of ageing – but it has to be activity of an appropriate intensity and type, something many baby boomers don't accept."

"Let's not be mistaken, physical activity is the best way to deter ageing in many ways, but too much vigorous, high-impact work such as squash, tennis and running, can be bad news."