Investing In The Health And Well-Being Of Young Adults

Abstract

Young adulthood – ages approximately 18 to 26 – is a critical time in life. What happens during these years has profound and long-lasting implications for young adults, and – because many are parents – for the next generation. Healthy, productive, and skilled young adults are critical for the nation’s workforce, global competitiveness, public safety, and national security. Although young adults are resilient and adaptable, they are surprisingly unhealthy, showing a worse health profile than both adolescents and adults in their late 20s and 30s. Recent national attention on young adults has focused primarily on enrolling them in health care insurance to offset the higher costs associated with care for older adults under the Affordable Care Act 2010 provisions – mistakenly implying that it is not in their own interest to have health insurance. Unfortunately, too little attention has been paid to young adults’ specific health needs and the transitions they face once they are in the health care delivery system. The Institute of Medicine and National Research Council recently released a new report titled Investing in the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults, which reviews what is known about the health, safety, and well-being of young adults and offers recommendations for policy and research. It was prepared by a committee with expertise in multiple disciplines, including public health, health care, behavioral health, sociology, social services, human development, neuroscience, economics, business, occupational health, media, and communications. We served as chair and a member of the committee, respectively.