Millennials Love Wellness. But They ’re Not as Healthy as People Think, Report Says

Millennials are often credited with driving the $4.2 trillion global wellness market, with their love of pursuits like yoga, meditation and boutique fitness. But despite their reputation for valuing health and wellness, millennials are in worse health than their elders in Generation X used to be, according to a new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Millennials — who in 2017 were ages 21 to 36 — were overall in good health that year, according to Blue Cross’s data analysis of 55 million commercially insured millennials. But around age 27, millennials’ health began to decline — and trends suggest the downturn may be more than what could be expected from normal aging. Rates of nearly every health problem that most commonly affects younger Americans rose from 2014 to 2017, according to the report. Behavioral health issues were especially widespread among millennials. Major depression rates increased in this population by 31% from 2014 to 2017, rates of psychotic conditions increased by 15% and rates of substance use disorder rose by 10%. Eight of the top 10 millennial health conditions — depression, substance use disorder, high blood pressure, hyperactivity, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, tobacco use disorder and Type 2 diabetes — were also more common among older millennials in 2017 than they were among members of Gen X when they were the same age. (Rates of the remaining two of the top...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Research Source Type: news