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Trends in obesity and arthritis among baby boomers and their predecessors, 1971-2002

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  • Leveille, S.G.
  • Wee, C.C.
  • Iezzoni, L.I.

Abstract

Objectives. We examined trends in obesity and arthritis prevalence among the "baby boom" (born 1946-1965) and "silent" (born 1926-1945) generations. Methods. We conducted birth cohort analyses using successive waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1971-2002). Results. Obesity rates increased markedly, beginning earlier in life with each successive birth cohort. When the members of the silent generation were aged 35-44 years, 14%-18% were obese. At comparable ages, 28%-32% of the youngest baby boomers were obese. Differences in arthritis prevalence were not evident across birth cohorts. However, the relative risk of arthritis because of obesity increased over time; consequently, the percentage of arthritis cases attributable to obesity increased from 3% to 18% between 1971 and 2002. Conclusions. Our results showed that members of the baby boom generation were more obese, and became so at younger ages than their predecessors. Although differences in arthritis prevalence are not yet evident, findings suggest that obesity has contributed to more cases of arthritis in recent years than in previous decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Leveille, S.G. & Wee, C.C. & Iezzoni, L.I., 2005. "Trends in obesity and arthritis among baby boomers and their predecessors, 1971-2002," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(9), pages 1607-1613.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2004.060418_4
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.060418
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    Cited by:

    1. Enrique Acosta & Alain Gagnon & Nadine Ouellette & Robert R. Bourbeau & Marilia R. Nepomuceno & Alyson A. van Raalte, 2020. "The boomer penalty: excess mortality among baby boomers in Canada and the United States," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2020-003, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    2. Rhiannon Pilkington & Anne W Taylor & Graeme Hugo & Gary Wittert, 2014. "Are Baby Boomers Healthier than Generation X? A Profile of Australia’s Working Generations Using National Health Survey Data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-7, March.
    3. Colleen Heflin & Jun Li & Dongmei Zuo, 2023. "Changing patterns of SNAP take‐up and participation and the role of out‐of‐pocket medical expenses among older adults," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 336-349, March.
    4. Esme Fuller-Thomson & Jason Ferreirinha & Katherine Marie Ahlin, 2023. "Temporal Trends (from 2008 to 2017) in Functional Limitations and Limitations in Activities of Daily Living: Findings from a Nationally Representative Sample of 5.4 Million Older Americans," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-11, February.
    5. Sarianne Wiklund Axelsson & Åsa Wikberg-Nilsson & Anita Melander Wikman, 2016. "Sustainable Lifestyle Change—Participatory Design of Support Together with Persons with Obesity in the Third Age," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-13, December.

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