Many of us who are a bit older, who are battling a few midlife pounds or health conditions, can look back at our healthier selves -- perhaps in our 20s or our 30s -- and we have a frame of reference for what being fit and lean
feels like. We understand the balance of eating well and being active, and even if we've let good habits slip, we do know our way back.
But right now, we may have a generation of young adults who've never felt that lean, fit feeling. They have grown up in our carb-heavy, supersized-food world, and they are already feeling the effects between the ages of 18-29, which arguably should be an age when they're at their healthiest.
The annual report from the National Center for Health Statistics (released Wednesday) found this data on 50 million young adults between the ages of 18-29:
-- About a third are overweight.
-- About a third are obese.
-- About a third do not have health insurance.
-- About a third of young men smoke. About a fifth of young women do.
They are still in the years where their young, resilient bodies can undo a lot of damage. But the frightening part, of course, comes decades down the line: What happens when this generation hits 40? 50? 60?
"They're still smoking, still drinking, still taking illicit drugs and not exercising," says Amy Bernstein, the primary author of the study. "Whatever we're doing, we're not getting through to this particular age group."
Here's the article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-18-young-adult-health_N.htm
What do you think? Have our society's newest bad habits possibly affected an entire generation?