Citation

Park MJ, Paul Mulye T, Adams SH, Brindis CD, Irwin CE. J. Adolesc. Health 2006; 39(3): 305-317.

Affiliation

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0503, USA. jane.park@ucsf.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.04.017

PMID

16919791

Abstract

The health issues of young adulthood have received relatively little attention compared with those of adolescence, although the critical issues in young adulthood parallel those of adolescence. Young adults often fare worse than adolescents on health indicators, with many measures of negative outcomes--including rates of injury, homicide, and substance use--peaking during the young adult years. The contextual factors shaping health status and access to care in young adulthood differ significantly from the context of adolescence. This article synthesizes national data to present a health profile of young adults, reviewing social indicators that describe the context of young adulthood and presenting measures of health status. We examine mortality, morbidity, risky behaviors, and health care access and utilization, identifying the most significant gender and racial/ethnic disparities. The article also identifies limitations of existing data and offers suggestions for future research and health monitoring in this area. We conclude with a discussion of current efforts to address the health and well-being of young adults and argue for creating a national health agenda for young adults that includes research, programs and policies to address health issues during this period of the lifespan.

Language: en