Dana King, M.D., professor and chair of the led the study in cooperation with Jun Xiang, M.S., health data analyst in the Department of Family Medicine, to examine whether retired late-middle-aged adults have differing rates of adherence to healthy lifestyle and metabolic risk factors, including diet, exercise, smoking, weight, glucose levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol, compared with same-aged adults who are not yet retired.
"We know that full-time work keeps people busy and often unable to find the time for healthy eating and exercise,鈥� Dr. King said. 鈥淲e decided to investigate whether people who were retiring took advantage of their additional free time to lead a healthier lifestyle."
Chronic disease, use of multiple medications and busy daily lives make following a healthy lifestyle more difficult. Previous studies of recent retirees indicated that the transition to retirement may offer an opportunity for a 鈥渘ew start鈥� toward healthy living and greater adherence to recommended patterns of exercise and healthy habits.
This research offers valuable findings and suggests that retirement does not have a strong association with improvements in healthy lifestyle habits or other cardiovascular risk factors. Retired baby boomers are more likely to be obese and to have high blood pressure or elevated glucose levels, and were no more likely to be following a healthy diet. Only physical activity was likely to increase after retirement. Future research efforts are needed to further understand health and lifestyle challenges during the transition to retirement.
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