(HealthDay News) — Baby boomers in the United States may enter their 60s with far more physical disabilities than previous generations, which could spell trouble for an already overburdened health-care system.

That’s the finding of University of California, Los Angeles researchers who analyzed data from the 1988 and 1999 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to identify changes in disability trends among older adults.

The study authors looked at four areas of disability: basic daily living activities, such as walking from room to room and getting in and out of bed; instrumental activities, such as doing household chores or preparing meals; mobility, including walking one-quarter mile or climbing 10 steps without stopping for rest; and functional limitations, such as stooping, crouching or kneeling.

Between 1988 and 1999, disability among people in their 60s increased between 40 percent and 70 percent in all areas except functional limitations. The increases were considerably higher among non-white and overweight people. During that same time, there were no significant changes among people aged 70 to 79. Among those 80 and over, there was a decrease in functional limitations. Read more…

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