ROB STEIN, WASHINGTON POST - As the first wave of baby boomers edges
toward retirement, a growing body of evidence suggests that they may be
the first generation to enter their golden years in worse health than
their parents. While not definitive, the data sketch a startlingly
different picture than the popular image of health-obsessed workout
fanatics who know their antioxidants from their trans fats and look 10
years younger than their age.
Boomers are healthier in some important ways -- they are much less
likely to smoke, for example -- but large surveys are consistently
finding that they tend to describe themselves as less hale and hearty
than their forebears did at the same age. They are more likely to report
difficulty climbing stairs, getting up from a chair and doing other
routine activities, as well as more chronic problems such as high
cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. . .
Boomers tend to report more stress than earlier generations -- from
their jobs, their commutes, taking care of their parents and their kids
-- all of which can take a physical toll, which is compounded by having
less support from extended families and communities, experts say.
"People are working two jobs. They are not sleeping as much. They're
experiencing more job insecurity. They have less time to take care of
themselves. They are more socially isolated," said Lisa Berkman of the
Harvard School of Public Health. . .
When researchers examined the first wave of baby boomers to enter the
study -- 5,030 adults born between 1948 and 1953 -- they were shocked to
discover that they appeared to report poorer health than groups born
between 1936 and 1941, and between 1942 and 1947. . .
It is unclear whether boomers are really sicker or are simply more
health-conscious by dint of being better educated and having better
access to information. They may also have higher expectations, making
them more likely to notice and complain about aches and pains that
earlier generations would have accepted as just part of getting older.
"As they age, they may be less tolerant of the changes they see -- minor
pains, less stamina, muscle loss and strength," Soldo said. "I don't
just think they are crybabies or whiners. I think there is a changing
definition of what good health means."
But self-reports of health tend to be powerful predictors of risk of
death at any given age, Soldo and others say.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/
AR2007041902458.html?nav=rss_nation
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THOSE HELPING OTHERS HAPPIEST IN THEIR JOBS
JEANNA BRYNER, LIVE SCIENCE - Firefighters, the clergy and others with
professional jobs that involve helping or serving people are more
satisfied with their work and overall are happier than those in other
professions, according to results from a national survey.
"The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those
involving caring for, teaching and protecting others and creative
pursuits," said Tom Smith, director of the General Social Survey at the
National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
Across all occupations, on average 47 percent of those surveyed said
they were satisfied with their jobs and 33 percent reported being very
happy.
Here are the Top 10 most gratifying jobs and the percentage of subjects
who said they were very satisfied with the job:
Clergy 87 percent
Firefighters 80 percent
Physical therapists 78 percent
Authors 74 percent
Special education teachers 70 percent
Teachers 69 percent
Education administrators 68 percent
Painters and sculptors 67 percent
Psychologists 67 percent
Security and financial services salespersons 65 percent
Operating engineers 64 percent
Office supervisors 61 percent
A few common jobs in which about 50 percent of participants reported
high satisfaction included: police and detectives, registered nurses,
accountants, and editors and reporters. . .
"The least satisfying dozen jobs are mostly low-skill, manual and
service occupations, especially involving customer service and
food/beverage preparation and serving," Smith said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070418/sc_livescience/
surveyrevealsmostsatisfyingjobs;_ylt=Ahv76bgntH5DXrcUpTvYh2oPLBIF
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STUDY FINDS CANADA'S HEALTH SERVICE BETTER THAN AMERICA'S
CANWEST NEWS SERVICE - Canada's health-care system is as good or better
than that of the United States and is delivered at half the cost, new
research suggests. A review in the inaugural issue of online medical
journal Open Medicine, . . . found that while the United States spent an
average of $7,129 US per person on health care in 2006, compared with
$2,956 US per person in Canada, more studies favored the latter country
in terms of morbidity and mortality.
They covered a wide range of diseases and conditions including cancer,
coronary artery disease. . .
Of the 38 studies included in the analysis, 10 were considered to be of
the highest quality because they enrolled broad populations and included
extensive statistical adjustments. Results of five of those favored
Canada, two favored the United States and three showed equivalent or
mixed results.
Of the 28 remaining studies that did not meet one of the criteria, nine
favured Canada, three favored the United States and 16 showed equivalent
or mixed results.
When all the studies were combined, the 17 doctors and researchers
involved in the meta-analysis found Canadians had a five per cent lower
death rate than people in the United States.
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=
7af65822-8a73-46cc-afb6-808e49be3eff
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toward retirement, a growing body of evidence suggests that they may be
the first generation to enter their golden years in worse health than
their parents. While not definitive, the data sketch a startlingly
different picture than the popular image of health-obsessed workout
fanatics who know their antioxidants from their trans fats and look 10
years younger than their age.
Boomers are healthier in some important ways -- they are much less
likely to smoke, for example -- but large surveys are consistently
finding that they tend to describe themselves as less hale and hearty
than their forebears did at the same age. They are more likely to report
difficulty climbing stairs, getting up from a chair and doing other
routine activities, as well as more chronic problems such as high
cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. . .
Boomers tend to report more stress than earlier generations -- from
their jobs, their commutes, taking care of their parents and their kids
-- all of which can take a physical toll, which is compounded by having
less support from extended families and communities, experts say.
"People are working two jobs. They are not sleeping as much. They're
experiencing more job insecurity. They have less time to take care of
themselves. They are more socially isolated," said Lisa Berkman of the
Harvard School of Public Health. . .
When researchers examined the first wave of baby boomers to enter the
study -- 5,030 adults born between 1948 and 1953 -- they were shocked to
discover that they appeared to report poorer health than groups born
between 1936 and 1941, and between 1942 and 1947. . .
It is unclear whether boomers are really sicker or are simply more
health-conscious by dint of being better educated and having better
access to information. They may also have higher expectations, making
them more likely to notice and complain about aches and pains that
earlier generations would have accepted as just part of getting older.
"As they age, they may be less tolerant of the changes they see -- minor
pains, less stamina, muscle loss and strength," Soldo said. "I don't
just think they are crybabies or whiners. I think there is a changing
definition of what good health means."
But self-reports of health tend to be powerful predictors of risk of
death at any given age, Soldo and others say.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/
AR2007041902458.html?nav=rss_nation
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THOSE HELPING OTHERS HAPPIEST IN THEIR JOBS
JEANNA BRYNER, LIVE SCIENCE - Firefighters, the clergy and others with
professional jobs that involve helping or serving people are more
satisfied with their work and overall are happier than those in other
professions, according to results from a national survey.
"The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those
involving caring for, teaching and protecting others and creative
pursuits," said Tom Smith, director of the General Social Survey at the
National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
Across all occupations, on average 47 percent of those surveyed said
they were satisfied with their jobs and 33 percent reported being very
happy.
Here are the Top 10 most gratifying jobs and the percentage of subjects
who said they were very satisfied with the job:
Clergy 87 percent
Firefighters 80 percent
Physical therapists 78 percent
Authors 74 percent
Special education teachers 70 percent
Teachers 69 percent
Education administrators 68 percent
Painters and sculptors 67 percent
Psychologists 67 percent
Security and financial services salespersons 65 percent
Operating engineers 64 percent
Office supervisors 61 percent
A few common jobs in which about 50 percent of participants reported
high satisfaction included: police and detectives, registered nurses,
accountants, and editors and reporters. . .
"The least satisfying dozen jobs are mostly low-skill, manual and
service occupations, especially involving customer service and
food/beverage preparation and serving," Smith said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070418/sc_livescience/
surveyrevealsmostsatisfyingjobs;_ylt=Ahv76bgntH5DXrcUpTvYh2oPLBIF
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
STUDY FINDS CANADA'S HEALTH SERVICE BETTER THAN AMERICA'S
CANWEST NEWS SERVICE - Canada's health-care system is as good or better
than that of the United States and is delivered at half the cost, new
research suggests. A review in the inaugural issue of online medical
journal Open Medicine, . . . found that while the United States spent an
average of $7,129 US per person on health care in 2006, compared with
$2,956 US per person in Canada, more studies favored the latter country
in terms of morbidity and mortality.
They covered a wide range of diseases and conditions including cancer,
coronary artery disease. . .
Of the 38 studies included in the analysis, 10 were considered to be of
the highest quality because they enrolled broad populations and included
extensive statistical adjustments. Results of five of those favored
Canada, two favored the United States and three showed equivalent or
mixed results.
Of the 28 remaining studies that did not meet one of the criteria, nine
favured Canada, three favored the United States and 16 showed equivalent
or mixed results.
When all the studies were combined, the 17 doctors and researchers
involved in the meta-analysis found Canadians had a five per cent lower
death rate than people in the United States.
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=
7af65822-8a73-46cc-afb6-808e49be3eff
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