Wealthy and Educated Aging In Better Health

Seniors are indeed living longer and in better health thanks to all the advances in modern medicine and our growing understanding about how lifestyle choices, like diet and exercise, play an important role in aging well; but not all older adults are equally healthy.

According to a new large-scale study of more than 55,000 American seniors, those with higher levels of education and greater incomes improved the most in reporting good health between 2000 and 2014.

U.S. News reports that researchers found 52 per cent of wealthy seniors said they were in good health throughout the study while only 31 per cent of those with poor health had high incomes.   Older adults who held graduate degrees saw the most improvement over the 14-year study yet seniors with only a high school education saw no improvement in overall good health.  In addition, whites were more likely than blacks or Hispanics to enjoy good health in older age.

As the senior population continues to grow at a rapid rate, health care professionals are alarmed at the widening imbalance in health between races and based on income and education even while seniors have access to health care.   The study, published in the September 18 issue of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, calls into question what improvements in public health care need to take place to make sure all groups of people are receiving the best care possible to ensure a healthy old age.

To read more about the University of Michigan study, follow this link to medicalxpress.com .