Western Older Adults Feel Younger, Healthier
By Richard Shank
A Pew Research Center poll indicates that in the U.S., West-dwelling adults, 65 years old, are more likely to feel healthier and younger than their peers in the East.
Two-thirds of Westerners say they feel younger than their age, compared to 57% of older adults living everywhere else in the country. Half of Westerners feel 10 or more years younger than their age. Nearly three-fourths of older Westerners feel they are in excellent or good health, compared to two-thirds living elsewhere. Researchers indicate that these differences may be related to lifestyle; Western older adults are more likely to exercise than older adults in the rest of the country and have been more mobile, being more likely to have moved than older adults living elsewhere.
Other results indicate that urban, rural, and suburban older adults show similar trends in feelings of health and youth. Suburban older adults, however, are significantly more likely to report feelings of sadness or depression.
The news that a large majority of older adults feel younger than their chronological age, regardless of their region of residence, is a positive development. Feelings of youth are important for maintaining active lifestyles into late life.
For more information, visit Pew’s report at http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/738/go-west-older-adults-feel-young-at-heart.
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