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Gen X to overtake Boomers for poor health

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Researchers at the University of Adelaide have confirmed that if current trends continue, Generation X will overtake Baby Boomers for poor health, including rates of obesity and diabetes, which could have huge implications for Australia's healthcare and the workforce.

In a paper in the online journal PLOS ONE, University of Adelaide researchers compared the health status of Baby Boomers (born from 1946-1965) and Generation X (1966-1980) at the same age range of 25-44 years.

They found Generation X had significantly poorer levels of self-rated health, and higher levels of obesity and diabetes compared with Boomers, with no real difference in physical activity between the two groups.

“Generation X appears to have developed both obesity and diabetes much sooner when compared with Baby Boomers, which is a major concern on a number of fronts,” says co-author and University of Adelaide PhD student Rhiannon Pilkington, who is a member of the University's Population Research & Outcome Studies group, School of Medicine.

Australian Research Council

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