Survey Says, Forty-Four Percent of Millennials Have a Chronic Health Condition

According to a survey, 44 percent of millennials already have a chronic health condition.

As the oldest of the millennial generation are about to enter their 40s, CNBC Make It launched Middle-Aged Millennials, a series that looks into the development and lifestyles of people within the millennial age group. Millennials have seen some of the most eventful moments in American history including the Great Recession, the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Not to mention, many of us have seen the hardship of paying back student loans and breaking our backs on less-than-livable wages. The results of dealing with these traumatic situations are showing up in millennials’ health.

According to CNBC, about 44 percent of older millennials born between 1981 and 1988 report having been diagnosed with at least one chronic health condition. This information was found in a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of CNBC Make It, among 4,000 U.S. adults. About 830 of those adults were between the ages 33 and 40, the news outlet reports.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, says that there’s “no question” that millennials are less healthy than what was predicted. “Hypertension, diabetes and obesity drive a lot of that,” Benjamin says. He added that there is also an obesity epidemic — and hypertension, diabetes and certain types of cancer are the roots of the problem.

The survey shows that the most common health issues millennials are dealing with are migraine headaches, major depression and asthma. Type 2 diabetes and hypertension are also in the top health issues for the generation.