Study: Walker use increases among baby boomers

CHICAGO - A study recently featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that baby boomers are twice as likely to use an assistive walking device than the generation before them. While medicine has improved substantially during the lifetimes of baby boomers and their life expectancy has risen, the study suggests that overall health is lower than the previous generation and this may, in part, explain the increased use of walking devices. Among baby boomers analyzed in the study, 6.9% used an assistive walking device, compared with 3.3% in the previous generation. Other noteworthy findings: 13.2% of baby boomers reported “excellent” health, compared to 32% of individuals in the previous generation; and 38.7% were obese, compared to 29.4% in the previous generation.