Although it may surprise some, young Irish people are dieting more, smoking less and waiting to drink until they're older, according to a study carried out by NUIG.
The Health Promotion Research Centre at NUIG, has been carrying out a study on over 50,000 students aged 10-17 years old from 1998-2014. The research looked at trends in health risk behaviours, like drinking, smoking and even bullying. A lot of the figures are really interesting and show the difference 16 years can make.
They found out a whopping 14.3% decrease in young people smoking tobacco, as well as a 25.6% decrease in young people trying their first smoke at age 13 or younger.
When it comes to alcohol, in 2002, 48.4% has tried their first drink at age 13 or younger, while in 2014 the number was 29.8%. There was also a decrease of 12% in young people who have been drunk over the past 16 years.
Thanks to the likes of social media, there was a "significant increase in the proportion of children who reported that they are currently trying to lose weight". In 2002, 11.9% of young people were trying to lose weight and in 2014, 16.3% were.
It wasn't all doom and gloom, however, as the study also monitored trends in positive health behaviours. They surveyed things like fruit consumption, teeth brushing, seatbelt use and even vigorous exercise. Perhaps one of the most shocking statistics was that in 1998 only 41% of kids wore seatbelts, whereas, in 2014, 81.1% of kids wore them.
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So all in all, it seems like young people today are definitely more health conscience and millennials aren't as bad as everybody thinks they are.
[h/t: The Irish Times]
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