Wellness Wednesday

Millennials Kids Are Killing Wellness

Out of a recent poll from a population of adults, many believe that children today are worse off than they were when it comes to mental health a, fitness and diet.

Every generation believes that they were the "greatest generation", or that the next generation is worse than theirs. Much of this stems from the vast amount of change that comes from new technology leading to social and cultural changes that the previous generation has a hard time adjusting to or understanding, however, some negative changes ring true to previous generations' concerns. A recent study and survey conducted by the University of Michigan revealed that less than a third of adults believe that children today are healthier than they were and at the same age and that only a quarter of adults think that their children's mental health has improved. This belief comes despite rapid advancement and improvements in medicine and public health.

The survey took responses from a sample of 1,330 US households, asking parents how they felt about six factors that affect the health and well-being of children. Only 36% of respondents said the quality of education was better today than when they were in school and 39% of respondents said the quality of healthcare had improved. The scores only became lower from there, however, as 23% of respondents believed that emotional support from families had improved, 18% believed that exercise and fitness in the new generation had improved, 17% believed diet had improved and 14% believed the safety of communities had improved. Of the respondents only 10% of Generation X and 6% of Millennials believe that the future generation has a better chance at life than they did. While their reasoning for the decline in health differs, policymakers must enact improved legislation to better future generations health and wellness needs.