Life expectancy has risen in almost every country over the last century. How exactly the health of older adults today compares to that experienced by previous generations, however, remains relatively unknown.
Meanwhile, while older people often report their level of functioning and independence, and not the absence or presence of disease, as their most important health outcome, research examining functional trends has been limited.
To address these knowledge gaps, the researchers behind the current study analyzed data from both the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Using the data, they were able to estimate intrinsic capacity and subdomains of cognitive, locomotor, sensory, psychological, and vitality capacities.
Ultimately, they found that older adults today experience higher levels of physical and mental functioning than previous generations at the same age. For instance, a 68-year-old born in 1950 had a higher capacity than a 62-year-old born 10 years earlier, while those born in 1940 had better functioning than those born in 1930 or 1920.
Although similar trends were observed in the Chinese cohort, the analysis was comparatively limited due to a shorter follow-up period.
The researchers noted that improvements in education, nutrition, sanitation, and medical advancements- such as joint replacements- over the last 100 years likely contributed to improved functioning.
"We were surprised by just how large these improvements were, particularly when comparing people born after World War Two with earlier-born groups." said study author, John Beard, MBBS, PhD, Professor of Aging in Health Policy and Management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in a press release.
"But there is nothing to say we will continue to see the same improvements moving forward, and changes such as the increasing prevalence of obesity may even see these trends reverse. It is also likely that more advantaged groups will have experienced greater gains than others. But overall, the trends were very strong and suggest that, for many people, 70 really may be the new 60,” he added.
Sources: Science Daily, Nature Aging
