Most American Seniors Live With Chronic Disease

More needs to be done to encourage exercise, healthy eating, CDC report says.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
Thursday, March 8, 2007; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

THURSDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Eight of 10 Americans age 65 or older are living with heart disease, diabetes or some other form of chronic illness, according to a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The State of Aging and Health in America 2007 was released Thursday and includes up-to-date information on 15 key health indicators for older adults.

"We are really interested in healthy aging and in ways we can promote healthy aging even in the presence of chronic diseases," said Lynda Anderson, chief of the CDC's Health Care and Aging Studies Branch.

The report is also a report card on how the states measure up to the national goals established in Healthy People 2010, Anderson noted.

The number of Americans 65 and older is estimated to reach 71 million by 2030, about 20 percent of the population. By that time, U.S. health care spending is estimated to increase by 25 percent because of an aging population, according to the report.

The report looks at seniors' "health status" -- the number of physically unhealthy days seniors experience, their frequency of mental distress, their oral health and levels of physical disability. There is also an evaluation of health behaviors, such as physical inactivity, nutrition, obesity and smoking.

The study also assesses preventive care and screening. These factors include flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, mammography, colorectal cancer screening, preventive screening, and cholesterol levels. In addition, injuries such a hip fracture hospitalizations are also evaluated.

"The good news is that, at the national level, we are actually meeting some of the [government's] Healthy People 2010 targets," Anderson said. For example, national goals are being met in mammograms, colorectal cancer screening, cholesterol testing and the reduction in the number of smokers, she said. "Only 9 percent of older adults are smoking," she added. In addition, 21 states and the District of Columbia have met targets on oral health.