ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2024
Cohort Differences in Physical Health and Disability in the United States and Europe.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed.
- A demographic perspective on longevity and healthspan: Rethinking population ageing through a positive and prospective lens.Journal of internal medicine · 2026Article
- Chronic health conditions and health-related economic inactivity in midlife: Evidence from the 1958 and 1970 British birth cohorts.SSM - population health · 2026Article
- Mortality Dynamics in Low-Mortality Countries: An Introduction to the Special Issue.European journal of population = Revue europeenne de demographie · 2026Article
- Diverging trends in health at older ages in England, 2004-2024: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Old age is perceived to begin later: cross-European differences and the role of macro-level factors for the historical change in the perceived onset of old age.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Cardiometabolic Biomarkers at Age 44-45 in the Psychosis Spectrum: The British National Child Development Study.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2026Article
- Two steps forward, one step back: cohort shifts in cognitive function trajectories in aging European populations.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Pain during midlife: a cross-national analysis of cohort differences in reports of pain in the United States, Europe, South Korea, and Mexico.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Historical change in midlife trajectories of self-reported sensory functioning across 16 nations.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- Historical Change in Midlife Development from a Cross-National Perspective.Current directions in psychological science · 2026Article
- Multimorbidity trends in Catalonia, 2010-21: a population-based cohort study.International journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Uncovering mechanisms of historical change in midlife loneliness across the United States and Europe: a focus on physical activity, health conditions, and wealth.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- COVID-19, economic downturn, and long-term trajectories of population mental health: Evidence from two nationally representative British birth cohorts at the intersection of gender and socioeconomic position.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2026Article
- An umbrella review of psychological capacity and mental health trajectories across the life course.Nature. Mental health · 2026Article
- Positive demography: changing the perspective on population aging from the Age-It Research Program.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Multi-Morbidity at Death and the US Disadvantage in Mortality.European journal of population = Revue europeenne de demographie · 2025Article
- Disease accumulation across birth cohorts in South Korea.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Adolescent IQ and performance-based measures of physical function in old age: a 54-year longitudinal study.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Article
- Acute Appendicitis in Children During War Conflict: Results from a Multicenter Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
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Abstract
objectivesDeclines in mortality have historically been associated with improvements in physical health across generations. While life expectancy in most high-income countries continues to increase, there is evidence that younger generations, particularly in the United States, are less healthy than previous generations at the same age. We compared generational trends in physical health in the United States, England, and continental Europe to explore whether other regions have experienced a similar pattern of worsening health across cohorts.
methodsUsing data from nationally representative studies of adults aged ≥50 years from the United States (Health and Retirement Study, n = 26,939), England (English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, n = 14,992) and 11 continental European countries (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, n = 72,595), we estimated differences in the age-adjusted prevalence of self-reported chronic disease and disability and observer-measured health indicators across pseudo-birth cohorts (born <1925, 1925-1935, 1936-1945, 1946-1954, 1955-1959).
resultsAge-adjusted prevalence of doctor-diagnosed chronic disease increased across successive cohorts in all regions. Trends in disability prevalence were more regionally varied. Still, in both the United States and Europe, we observed a structural break in disability trends, with declines observed in prewar cohorts slowing, stalling, or reversing for cohorts born since 1945. DISCUSSION: In all regions, we found evidence for worsening health across cohorts, particularly for those born since 1945. While more chronic disease in younger cohorts need not necessarily translate to worse quality of life or higher rates of functional limitation, there is some suggestion that worsening chronic disease morbidity may be spilling over into worsening disability.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.