Young adults can't be expected to worry about having a heart attack or stroke. But they should consider that their lifestyle choices now may influence their health later, researchers said Monday.
The scientists conducted a survey of 1,248 Americans age 18 to 44 on their attitudes about health and behaviors. The majority of people age 25 to 44 said they felt they were living a healthy lifestyle. Younger participants -- age 18 to 24 -- don't appear to thinking clearly about their health, however. They strongly claimed that living a long, healthy life was important to them. On average, they said they wanted to live until age 98. But one-third said they don't believe that doing healthy things now, such as eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables or exercising, will make any difference in their risk of stroke and health disease in the future.
