Substantial Health Disparities Among Young US Adults

Substantial Health Disparities Among Young US Adults

From the Fri Dec 2, 2011 issue of Medical News Today 

Health disparities among young American adults born after 1980 have grown substantially, according to a new study led by Hui Zheng, assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University, that is published in the December issue of the American Sociological Review. Zheng and colleagues also found that the gaps tend to widen as people reach middle age, and then narrow again as they reach old age. They suggest this is because most young people are generally healthy, and at this stage, disparities stay low.

Zheng and colleagues also found that the gaps tend to widen as people reach middle age, and then narrow again as they reach old age.

They suggest this is because most young people are generally healthy, and at this stage, disparities stay low. But as they age, some develop health problems and diseases, so disparities grow. But these fall off again in old age as sicker people die and healthy ones remain. In old age there may also be an effect from older people sharing similar health risk factors due to frailty, and there may also be an equalizing effect from health care usage and protection through Medicare coverage for the elderly…