Health status is associated significantly with age. Comparing
the youngest age group (aged 45 to 54) to the
oldest age group (aged 75 plus), the proportion reporting
good health decreases from 28 to 20 %, while the proportions
increase from 19 to 31 % for reporting poor
health and from 2 to 5 % for having very poor health.
The proportions increase over these two age groups
from 56 to 72 % for having at least one disease, from 11
to 24 % for having three or more diseases, from 2 to 5 %
for having any physical disability, from 6 to 22 % for
having any functional loss, from about 4 to 23 % for having
any ADL limitation, from 11 to 12 % for having mild
to major depression, from 14 to 20 % for having some to
a lot of pain. However, we found healthier lifestyles at
older ages. The proportion of former smokers has increased
from 7 % for the youngest older people to 15 %
for the oldest group and from 61 to 77 % for not
drinking