The physical health of Koreans in their 70s in 2023 was similar to that of people in their mid-60s 12 years ago, according to a study by a Korean medical expert released Tuesday.
Lee Yun-hwan, a professor of preventive medicine and public health at Ajou University School of Medicine, presented his study at a government-hosted discussion, comparing the functional health of senior citizens in 2011 and 2023. He quantified the concept of "healthy aging" using an index he devised based on the physical conditions of the 65-69 and 70-74 age groups for each year.
He assigned a score from 0 to 15 based on the number of chronic illnesses, disabilities and mental health issues experienced by each of the subjects in the survey, with higher scores indicating better health. Over the 12 years, the healthy aging index score increased by about one point overall.
The average score for a 72-year-old in 2023 was 10.81, according to Lee's study, which was closest to the average score of 10.88 for a 65-year-old in 2011.
In 2011, the probability of experiencing a serious disability was 4.2 percent for the 65-69 age group and 4.9 percent for the 70-74 age group. By 2023, the figures had declined by 2.4 percent for the younger group and 4.4 percent for the older group.
"The baby boomers (defined as those born in Korea between 1955 and 1963) tend to be healthier than senior citizens of the previous generation, and they are spending less on medical expenses," Lee said. He noted that health among senior citizens differs greatly for each person, and said using only age as the criterion for welfare policies can limit their effectiveness.
Tuesday's meeting, organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, aimed to gather expert opinions on how to define senior citizens on the policy level.
The South Korean government last month announced plans to raise the legal age for senior citizen status -- a designation qualifying individuals for benefits such as free subway rides -- from the current 65. The legal age for seniors has remained unchanged since the Welfare of Senior Citizens Act was enacted in 1981.
According to Statistics Korea, the life expectancy in South Korea jumped from 66.1 years in 1980 to 83.6 years in 2021.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
