A new study from Health Action Council found millennials exceed older generations in chronic health conditions like diabetes and obesity.
A millennial is anyone born between 1981 and 1996.
“I think it's a pretty alarming phrase or sentence to be told," Bronson Rotaru, a personal trainer, said.
“I was quite surprised to see that this was the trend initially when I saw that," Dr. Roy Buchinsky, the Executive Health Director of University Hospitals, said.
But he said when he dug a little deeper into the study, he could understand why.
“This generation has sort of been exposed to a number of different events over the last three years with COVID, and definitely other events earlier on in regard to the great recession, as well as the 'Dot.Com' generation during the tech slide," Dr. Buchinsky said.
Because of that, and a lack of access to healthcare, Dr. Buchinsky said millennials have more stress, leading to unhealthy lifestyle habits like bad eating and not enough exercise.
“These results from the study are certainly eye opening," he said.
But he said this trend doesn't have to continue.
“You have to really start walking the talk. In other words, to really take charge of your own health," he said.
And it can be as simple as just getting out and moving.
“Just moving around a couple of days a week is a great idea for anybody. It doesn't have to necessarily be that high of a goal of a fitness type level," Rotaru said.
To reduce stress, Dr. Buchinsky recommends connecting with family and friends, watching what you eat, and getting enough rest.
"We need to focus on emphasizing lifestyle as medicine, but also opening up the channels so that people can access health care when they need to access health care," he said.
