HHS HealthBeat (April 10, 2009)

Young adults, healthy adults

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

Young adults -- ages 18 to 29 -- often think that their health is invincible.  But they face health risks, too.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention featured young adults in the latest federal report card on the nation’s health – Health, United States 2008.

Researcher Amy Bernstein:

[Amy Bernstein speaks] “They face all of the same health risks as the adolescents – and probably more, given that they are now pretty much on their own in a lot of cases.’’

Bernstein says people in this age group probably are healthier than other adults. But she says they have the same preventative needs as everyone else. This includes being physically active and not smoking, as well as getting medical checkups.

That’s so young adults can reduce their risk of having problems like heart disease when they become old adults.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

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

Last revised: April, 14 2009