Boomers More Concerned About Health Than Appearance – We’re Not So Vain After All
According to the recent poll conducted by The Associated Press and LifeGoesStrong.com, baby boomers believe that the worst thing about getting older is changes to their physical strength and health, over concerns about beauty.
Boomers say the worst things about aging are:
- changes in one’s physical abilities (28%)
- health issues (26%)
One in three boomers state they are actively fighting the negative effects of aging.
Boomers express mixed emotions about getting older, with slightly more boomers (42 percent) feeling positive emotions like confidence or happiness about getting older than negative ones (38 percent) such as frustration, sadness or fear.
Baby boomers are relatively optimistic they will live longer than their parents’ generation, with six in 10 (60%) believing they will live at least a little longer. Only 12 percent expect a shorter life span while 28 percent believe it will be about the same.
The survey also revealed that an alarming 36 percent of boomers are classified as “obese” based on their self-reported height and weight. Another 36 percent of boomers are “overweight,” while only 27 percent would fall into the “normal” range.
One ritual “washing that gray away” lives on. Almost one in three boomers (31% — including 55% of women) admit to regularly dyeing their hair, and most of those who do submit to the hairdressers’ magic say they do so specifically to cover their gray locks (73%).
So how about you. Where do you fit in the scheme of things?
