HHS HealthBeat (March 07, 2006)

Growing pains.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Are young adults leaving health behind?

A study in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine focused on changes in health habits as teen-agers grew into adulthood. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, tracked key indicators such as diet and physical activity.

Researcher Kathleen Mullan Harris of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:

"The drop-off in exercise is dramatic. We tend to think of young people as healthy and active, but our dat show that exercise is not very common among young adults. And that certainly is related to the increases we see in obesity during this life stage." (16 seconds)

Mullan Harris' co-researcher Penny Gordon-Larsen tells teens that choices made now could last a lifetime.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2006