Survey: Many Seniors Not Eating Right, Exercising
Government Survey Ranks Hawaii Healthiest State For Seniors
UPDATED: 10:30 am CST November 23, 2004
BOSTON -- A new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives seniors something to chew on. New numbers show that too many seniors aren't exercising, eating right, or controlling their weight.
The survey ranked Hawaii as the healthiest state for older Americans, and Kentucky was pegged the least healthy. The report comes at a pivotal time for the aging U.S. population. The Baby Boomer generation is nearing retirement age. The group is so large that experts say the United States will have 70 million people over age 65 by the year 2030."It's almost impossible to keep a diet. Whenever you sit down somewhere, someone puts food in front of you," said senior Tom Lombardi.Lombardi, 76, blames himself, not the lunches he gets at the Kit Clark Senior Center in Dorchester, Mass. Lombardi said he gained 30 pounds over the past 12 years, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.The CDC survey found that nearly one-fifth of older adults are obese, which is defined as at least 30 pounds above recommended weight.Thu Le is working hard to avoid such weight gain."I keep my belly very small. I don't want to get fat!" said Le.Le credited his traditional Vietnamese diet with keeping him trim and young-looking at 77."Fish, sometimes pork, beef, especially vegetables," Le said of his diet.But most seniors don't follow Le's lead. The survey found that two-thirds of all seniors don't get enough fruits and vegetables. Not one state met the federal target for eating five fruits and vegetables a day."So some of it is the money to get out, some of it is getting ethnically appropriate stores so they can eat mango or Vietnamese vegetables or the types of things they'll stay healthy eating," said Sandy Albright, of the Kit Clark Senior Center.Almost one-third of seniors do not participate in any leisure time physical activity, which could be the greatest threat to health. Only two states, Hawaii and Minnesota, met the federal target for seniors' physical activity.Many communities offer special programs for the elderly, but isolation keeps many off their feet. And, Albright said, a lifetime of bad habits can be hard to break."You bring with you to old age what you have been all your life. So you can change, but it is a lot harder so you need a lot of supports to make that happen," she said.Doctors say that seniors who eat right and exercise dramatically reduce their risk for chronic disease.However, 37 states met the federal target for receiving the pneumonia vaccine, compared with only one state in 2002. All states are now meeting the federal target for colorectal cancer screening.
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Full Report: State Of Aging And Health In AmericaIn Depth: State-By-State ResultsThe survey ranked Hawaii as the healthiest state for older Americans, and Kentucky was pegged the least healthy. The report comes at a pivotal time for the aging U.S. population. The Baby Boomer generation is nearing retirement age. The group is so large that experts say the United States will have 70 million people over age 65 by the year 2030."It's almost impossible to keep a diet. Whenever you sit down somewhere, someone puts food in front of you," said senior Tom Lombardi.Lombardi, 76, blames himself, not the lunches he gets at the Kit Clark Senior Center in Dorchester, Mass. Lombardi said he gained 30 pounds over the past 12 years, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.The CDC survey found that nearly one-fifth of older adults are obese, which is defined as at least 30 pounds above recommended weight.Thu Le is working hard to avoid such weight gain."I keep my belly very small. I don't want to get fat!" said Le.Le credited his traditional Vietnamese diet with keeping him trim and young-looking at 77."Fish, sometimes pork, beef, especially vegetables," Le said of his diet.But most seniors don't follow Le's lead. The survey found that two-thirds of all seniors don't get enough fruits and vegetables. Not one state met the federal target for eating five fruits and vegetables a day."So some of it is the money to get out, some of it is getting ethnically appropriate stores so they can eat mango or Vietnamese vegetables or the types of things they'll stay healthy eating," said Sandy Albright, of the Kit Clark Senior Center.Almost one-third of seniors do not participate in any leisure time physical activity, which could be the greatest threat to health. Only two states, Hawaii and Minnesota, met the federal target for seniors' physical activity.Many communities offer special programs for the elderly, but isolation keeps many off their feet. And, Albright said, a lifetime of bad habits can be hard to break."You bring with you to old age what you have been all your life. So you can change, but it is a lot harder so you need a lot of supports to make that happen," she said.Doctors say that seniors who eat right and exercise dramatically reduce their risk for chronic disease.However, 37 states met the federal target for receiving the pneumonia vaccine, compared with only one state in 2002. All states are now meeting the federal target for colorectal cancer screening.
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