::We're living longer... but not healthier: Children born today will suffer an extra year of disabilities than those born three decades ago::
::By Jenny Hope of DM with many thanks::
Living longer is not necessarily a bed of roses – it may mean more years spent struggling with disability, researchers say.
Figures show life expectancy is rising but that in return people born now will have to cope with disability or a long-term illness for an extra year compared with those born 30 years ago.
The gender gap is also closing, with women losing their traditional advantage in having better health for longer as they enjoy greater life expectancy.
Researchers predict that men born in 2007 will have an average 13.7 years of disability in their life, compared with 12.8 years for those born in 1981. For women, the figures are 17.1 years and 16 years.
Men born in 2007 are likely to spend an even greater proportion of their life in poor health, 8.7 years compared with 6.4 years in 1981.
Women today spend 11 years in poor health compared with 10 years in 1981, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.
However, the proportion of life spent in good health is increasing at a faster rate for men than for women – men have narrowed the traditional gender gap by more than a year.
Figures show a similar picture in the US, where the average 20-year-old will spend an entire extra year struggling with illness compared to their peers born 10 years ago.
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A quarter of children are overweight or obese by the age of FIVE
In 1998 a 20-year-old man could expect to live another 45 years without cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes. By 2006 that had fallen to 43.8 disease free years to look forward to. For young women the number of years they could enjoy good health also fell from 49.2 years to 48 years.
The number of people, including youngsters, with the ability to walk up ten steps, walk a quarter mile, stand or sit for 2 hours, and stand, bend or kneel without using special equipment also dropped.
Men in their 20s will spend 5.8 years without basic mobility - up from 3.8 years, while women of the same age are likely to experience 9.8 years without mobility - up from 7.3 years a decade ago.
Researcher Eileen Crimmins, who published a study in the Journal Of Gerontology, said healthier living and medical advances have contributed to the increase in life expectancy.
She said 'We have always assumed that each generation will be healthier and longer lived than the prior one.
'There is substantial evidence that we have done little to date to eliminate or delay disease while we have prevented death from diseases.
'At the same time, there have been substantial increases in the incidences of certain chronic diseases, specifically, diabetes.'
But the prevalence of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have all increased along with the proportion of the population with multiple diseases. Obesity rates have also shot up.
Dr Crimmins said: ‘The increasing prevalence of disease may to some extent reflect better diagnostics, but what it most clearly reflects is increasing survival of people with disease.’
'The growing problem of lifelong obesity and increases in hypertension and high cholesterol are a sign that health may not be improving with each generation.
'We do not appear to be moving to a world where we die without experiencing significant periods of disease, functioning loss, and disability.'::
bila difikirkan balik ada benarnya sedikit sebanyak yang ditulis oleh sociologist ini. Tengoklah dulu mana ada boleh melantak sosej berger 24/7 tiap hari. Ais krm sekotak, mat donel,pakcik janggut putih, segala cream cheese, cheese cake, public resipi dsbnya. Dulu mahal dahtu ada orang bukan mampu nak makan semua itu..
Sekarang semuanya murah, cuma kualiti saja lah yang kurang.. so anak anak dilatih makan makan yang segera lagi senang.taste bud jadi lali.
Anak anak yg duduk dibandar terutamanya mana nak makan nasi lauk pucuk rebus, masak air, sayur kampung sangat. Ikan sungai diajar ibubapa moden banyak tulang. Kalu ada bawang macam diletak paku atau racun didalam makanan tu. Makanya mereka menjadi kurengg la makanan yang sihat.. lebih gemar pada daging daging, berger, sosej ,steak dsbnya.
Lepas makan makanan berdaging, dok mengadap play station. Anak anak sekarang mana ada kena kerah cuci tandas, sapu sampah di laman, daun daun, buang sampah sangat. Kalau ada tu buat ingat ingat lupa. Memori yang lemah.. makan benda cam tu apa nak buat. Dah makan berdaging tiap hari, mahu badan tak panas..buka ekon, satu rumah, tidur berekon. Sebab terlampau panas tak tahan peluh.
Duduk dalam ekon, mana ada keluar peluh, keluar rumah kalau naik keta aircon, tak peluh..bila kala berpeluh?mana badan nak sihat..
Makan daging elok, buatlah cara old fashion seminggu sekali ayam, sehari daging merah, hari hari lain ikan. Tapi hidup dah mewah makan apa sajalah..tepuk dada tanya selera..Sakit zaman moden memang disebabkan excess dalam segala benda yang patut dikurangkan didalam seharian.