News Roundup: Caregiving Baby Boomers Have Worse Health Than Non-Caregivers, Millennials Spend More On Dogs Than Seniors
On average, Baby Boomer caregivers have worse health than non-caregivers, according to a study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Preventing Chronic Disease, peer-reviewed journal.
Specifically, the study found that caregiving Boomers are more likely to be suffering from a chronic disease or frequent mental distress (FMD), though it didn’t try to determine why this is the case.
The study consisted of researchers looking at data for almost 110,000 Boomers, and first classified them as either a caregiver or a non-caregiver. They used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which was obtained between 2015 and 2017 – and identified just under a quarter of the sample as caregivers.
“As people age, more Baby Boomers might serve as caregivers. To enable their performance in this role as long as possible, public health efforts are needed to support the caregiver role and enhance their health,” the authors of the study said.
Boomers Spend Less On Their Dogs Than Millennials
Another, less serious report related to Boomers was also published this week – and it found there to be an interesting trend between how much different generations in the US have spent on their dogs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rover carried out this survey of dog owners. It found that about a third of Millennials have spent more on their dogs during the coronavirus pandemic than under normal circumstances.
Meanwhile, only one in ten in Boomers said they had spent more on their pooches since March, and just under 80 percent said they’ve been spending the same amount as usual. The final 10 percent have been spending less on their dogs during the pandemic.
Rover also released some average figures for the cost of buying and looking after a dog.
“The annual cost of owning a dog can range, on average, from $650 to $2,295 a year — with the most budget-minded pet parents spending less than $1,000 per year,” they said.
The survey found that almost half of dog owners spend considerably more than the aforementioned $1,000 per year average. Specifically, 47 percent said they spend roughly $3,400 on their pets per year.
A Quick Summary
- A study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Preventing Chronic Disease journal has found caregiving Boomers to have worse health on average than non-caregivers.
- Researchers looked at data for over 100,000 Boomers in the US and first determined whether they are a caregiver or a non-caregiver before looking at their health.
- They found a quarter of Boomers to be caregivers – usually for another Boomer – and said it’s important that public health services improve to provide more support to older caregivers. The latter themselves may be in poor health.
- A separate survey reported that Millennials have been spending more on their dogs than usual during the pandemic, while Boomers’ spending has remained relatively unchanged.
- Around 80 percent of Boomers are spending the same amount on their pooches as before the COVID-19 pandemic, while 10 percent are spending more, and the remaining 10 percent are spending less.
- Younger pet owners are also more likely to buy organic pet food than Boomers, researchers added.