E-Science News has come out with an article detailing a 65 year-long study on Boomers by the Medical Research Council of Britain. The title of the article alone, “Baby Boomer Study Shows Importance of Childhood,” is vital to understanding how they become who they become. Mainly this involves the fact that, after years of research, scientists have as yet not found anyone who started life as an adult. This will be bad news for as yet unborn generations of Americans who were hoping to avoid years of sibling rivalry and having to learn the names of all the states.
The life-long study, followed 5,000 men and women since their birth in the same week of March 1946. No one knows how scientists knew back then that this generation of people would be the first of the Baby Boomers, although rumor has it that the babies started giving hospital nursery workers the peace sign and in one hospital, attempted to organize a rock concert.
The study found that social class differences seen in birth weight and infant survival persisted well into childhood. It also demonstrated the importance of parents being involved in their child’s schooling, providing the evidence that equally able children from poorer families had fewer educational opportunities. Also, babies who had a lower birth weight tended to have higher blood pressure in adulthood. Those of the lowest birth weight who grew faster post-natally, or had an earlier puberty, have been shown to have a higher cardiovascular risk. Heavier baby girls were more likely to develop breast cancer.
The study caused thousands of babies to petition the government for documentation that would allow them to leave the lower class and enter the middle class. They were told that all middle class slots were currently taken, but “the study influenced the design of the NHS and shaped the law, allowing midwives to give pain relief to women in labour and improving visiting rights for children in hospital.” The babies said that wasn’t exactly what they had in mind.
As Baby Boomers now enter retirement, newly collected data from the study will provide evidence about the prevalence of health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and mobility problems. In today’s aging society, the new data will be “crucial for those planning future social and health care services.”
It will also be crucial for those Boomers who would like to have a future, period.
Life in the Boomer Lane 
Lisa
March 10, 2011
🙂
Tori Nelson
March 10, 2011
Middle class slots are currently taken? Doesn’t that just seem bizarre?
Strange to think of socio-economic status like a packed Greyhound bus 🙂
lifeintheboomerlane
March 10, 2011
And the bus keeps getting smaller and smaller.
carldagostino
March 10, 2011
We became who we are because you could not leave the table until all your food was eaten even those disgusting lima beans. Your mother hit you with the big wooden salad spoon at least half a dozen times a day and you had to do homework till 7 AM when it was time to go back to school next morning so you could get more homework. We also had to go to church, brush our teeth with that disgusting tasting Crest and kept our finger nails clean. We also stood to recite the pledge of allegiance and prayed to God to stop mother from hitting us with the big wooden salad spoon and for the teacher to forget to give us homework. We got to go to Mrs Gordon’s house on Thursday to watch Batman because she was the only one that had a color TV. We had baseball cards too. We turned out OK, I think, in spite of it all. PS You cannot be a Boomer unless you are at least 60.
lifeintheboomerlane
March 10, 2011
You forgot that we had to walk really far in the snow to school each day even if we lived in Florida.
territerri
March 10, 2011
I’m not a boomer. I’m not sure exactly what I am. But I would like to petition the government for a move up to the upper class. If all the middle class spots are taken, there must be room up above.
lifeintheboomerlane
March 10, 2011
I think it works like airplanes. If these’s no room in the main part, you get sent to the hold. And it’s really cold and cramped down there.
Katybeth
March 10, 2011
I think today kids should be worried about having a childhood—over-scheduled, over-tired, parents petitioning for more, learning to read before you can put on your coat and zip it up, to much loud, to much busy, and to little time for imagination and play.
I would like an upper class spot tho—@territerri has a point.
♥
lifeintheboomerlane
March 10, 2011
I’ve just burst her bubble.
Kathryn McCullough
March 10, 2011
I’m far at the other end of Boomer timeline and already I’m beginning to feel myself age–which never happened tilll I hit 40-ish. So sad to be rusting so soon—————-
Hugs from Haiti,
Kathy
lifeintheboomerlane
March 10, 2011
Not to get all metaphysical on you (although that’s always such a thrill), we begin the process at birth. We just don’t notice it until a lot later. I keep saying, and I really mean it, the years after 50 have been the best. THE BEST. And that in no way takes anything away from the years I raised my kids. I’m talking about creativity, clarity, power, authenticity, and basically not giving a shit about what anyone else thinks.
KLZ
March 10, 2011
This data is kind of a lot of pressure.
I mean, it’s great to help people but…makes me feel like every indicator leads to death in some way.
Although, I guess it kind of does.
lifeintheboomerlane
March 10, 2011
Yes, absolutely. But, before that happens, there’s a lot of time to fill up. Like with raising children, paying taxes, winning the Nobel Prize, stuff like that.
planejaner
March 10, 2011
Witty, witty post, as usual. acerbic and sardonic.
you rock the keyboard, ladygirl.
glad to hear the ’50’s hold promise…as I round 1st in my 40’s and start heading your way.
blessings
jane
p.s. I really hope, one day, not to give a s___t about what anyone else thinks.
🙂
lifeintheboomerlane
March 10, 2011
Hey, thanks, Jane. Listen, if people know how great 50 was, they’d skip the 40s. (Not true at all but it sounds good)
writerwoman61
March 11, 2011
Sibling rivalry’s a killer…I hope they can fix that soon!
Fun (but scary) post!
Wendy
lifeintheboomerlane
March 11, 2011
Thanks, Wendy!
Amanda Hoving
March 12, 2011
I swear my daughter gave me the peace sign when she was two days old — she must be a boomer soul. Or, a time traveler.
lifeintheboomerlane
March 12, 2011
Lucky girl. Years ago, I had a friend who used to tell me all the time that she felt like she was born at the wrong time. She was a child in the late 60s but all the music and the energy, etc she ever felt connected to was from that time period.
Allison
March 13, 2011
Apparently the researchers haven’t seen ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons’. I found myself questioning the scientific feasibility of it more than once, but then I told myself– it’s Brad Pitt. And Kate Blanchett. Just sit back and enjoy.
lifeintheboomerlane
March 13, 2011
It was an interesting film, pure Hollywood stuff. I think the whole point of it was to allow everyone to see Brad Pitt in all stages of life.