Health advice for each generation

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Regardless of your age, preventive care — like annual wellness exams, dental visits, routine screenings and blood tests — is important. Receiving regular preventive care can help you catch disease early and stay healthy through every stage of life.

Here is a quick rundown of specific health advice based on your generation, and what you can learn from each generation’s health habits.

Generation Z (Gen Z) (born 1997–2012)

Gen Z prioritizes holistic health and wellness like fitness and mental well-being. Because they’ve been exposed to technology since birth, Gen Z are more likely to:

• Use digital wellness tools like fitness trackers. In fact, 66 percent of Gen Z use wellness apps to manage their health.
• Embrace preventive care practices.
• Speak openly about their mental health struggles.

Health advice for Generation Z: start building healthy habits now.

Building healthy habits like healthy eating, fitness and regular preventive care early in life will help you stay healthy as you age. Building a relationship with a primary care provider (PCP) as early as possible allows them to get to know you and your health needs.

Millennials (born 1981–1996)

As the largest generation, millennials are unique in that they are the first generation to grow up in the digital age. They are more likely to:

• Check online reviews of doctors and other health care providers before receiving care.
• Embrace mobile technology and use virtual care.

Health advice for Millennials: choose a primary care provider (PCP).

Studies show only 68 percent of millennials have an established relationship with a primary care provider. A strong relationship with a PCP and regular preventive care is associated with better overall health and lower hospital and emergency use.

Generation X (Gen X) (born 1965–1980)

Gen-Xer’s are expected to live longer than their baby boomer and Silent Generation parents and grandparents. They are more likely to:

• Have an established relationship with a PCP.
• Be open to making lifestyle changes for the sake of their health.
• Care for young children, adult children and/or their aging parents.

Health advice for Generation X: schedule preventive exams.

Cancer rates are up for Gen X’ers, especially for colon cancer. Seeing your PCP for regular preventive exams ensures you stay on top of age-appropriate cancer screenings and can catch serious illnesses when they are easier and less costly to treat.

Baby boomers (born 1946–1964)

They didn’t grow up online, but baby boomers have embraced technology and are open to new ways of connecting with their providers. Baby boomers are more likely to:

• Have an annual physical and stay on top of preventive care.
• Live with a chronic condition, such as diabetes, cancer or heart disease

Heath advice for baby boomers: manage chronic conditions.

Nearly 93 percent of baby boomers have already been diagnosed with at least one chronic health condition. It’s particularly important for baby boomers to understand their conditions, how to manage them and know how to advocate for the care they need.

The Silent Generation (born 1928–1945)

People ages 75 and over are typically enrolled in some form of Medicare coverage. This generation is more likely to:

• Closely follow their provider's recommendations and rely heavily on them for health information and referrals.
• Take multiple prescription medications.
• Require an inpatient hospital stay or emergency room visit.

Health advice for the Silent Generation: stay on top of medications.

To avoid drug interactions, the Silent Generation should communicate with their provider about all the supplements, over-the-counter medications and prescriptions they take.

4 tips for all ages

Wellmark tools all generations can use

BeWell 24/7^®

Keep the number 844-842-3935 handy for getting fast answers to your health questions, day or night. BeWell 24/7 is available at no cost to most Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield members.

Doctor On Demand^®

A virtual visit through Doctor On Demand is a benefit covered by many Wellmark plans. It allows you to stay at home while you visit a doctor face-to-face via your smartphone, tablet or laptop. Log in to myWellmark to see if you have coverage for virtual visits.

Wellmark Connect powered by WebMD^®

It’s never too early or late to reach your health and wellness goals. Try Wellmark Connect, our personalized digital platform that delivers health content, podcasts, videos, recipes, daily habit-tracking tools and more to help you take control of your health.

You can find all these tools and more on myWellmark. Log in to try them today.