For Gen Z, health and wellness are top priorities.
This younger generation is more dedicated to their physical health and mental wellbeing than past generations; their wellbeing is one of the most important aspects of their lives. Gen Z places an emphasis on holistic medicine, mental and emotional health, and living a health-forward wellness lifestyle. This includes eating well, exercising regularly, self-care and self-acceptance, and prioritizing a healthy balance in their lives.
Gen Z prioritizes mental health in a way that is markedly different compared to previous generations.
In fact, Gen Z ranked emotional wellbeing or feeling good internally, as their highest priority — beating out both general medical health and physical wellbeing. Improving mental health with stress management tools and stress reduction is more important to younger generations than many other aspects of health. Habits that support mental health, like getting an adequate amount of sleep every night and having a good work-life balance, are highly valued by Gen Z.
Gen Z connects their spirituality to self-care.
For some in Gen Z, spirituality has taken precedence over religion. As part of their self-care, many incorporate meditation and other mindfulness practices into their daily routine, such as yoga and breathing exercises. Mindfulness exercises in combination with spirituality are a priority for Gen Z because together, they are useful stress management tools.
Over 50 percent of Gen Z participates in physical activity.
Unlike previous generations, the goal of fitness for this generation is less about physical appearance and more about feeling better physically. Of secondary importance is improving and maintaining a positive mental health state through good physical health. Healthy eating is also part of this goal. Gen Z values healthy foods, such as non-GMO, all-natural foods, and even vegetarian options.
Gen Z relies on accessible tools such as tele-health appointments and medical apps.
For Gen Z, there is another aspect of health that is important: accessibility. Being able to use the tools available to current generations, such as telehealth and apps, is a must. Gen Z uses phone apps to check the quality of their sleep, count their steps, track their heart rate and other fitness metrics, keep tabs on their mood, attend virtual doctors’ appointments, and work out at home.
Gen Z values the ability to check in on themselves and their progress 24/7 — this explains, in part, why health has become their top priority. This generation is also concerned about the effectiveness and efficiency of the tools they use, and transparency with their healthcare professionals.
Gen Z’s view of health and wellness is that health is critical to everything we do — an inspiration for all generations.
Citations
- Gen Z + The Future of Health. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www.thelinusgroup.com/gen-z-report
- The Pandemic Has Heightened Young People’s Dedication to Their Health. Published Aug. 2020. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3ekqx/we-asked-people-how-the-pandemic-has-changed-their-approach-to-health-and-wellness
- Millennials and Gen Z – making mental health at work a priority. Published June 2021. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-deloitte-2021-mental-health-millennials-white-paper.pdf
- Gen Z Is Deconstructing Religion and Finding Faith. Published Feb. 2021. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkd84b/gen-z-is-deconstructing-religion-and-finding-faith
- Gen Z’s approach to wellbeing. Published Sept. 2020. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www.stressmatters.org.uk/gen-zs-approach-to-wellbeing
- Participation rate in fitness sports in the United States in 2020, by age group. Published Jan. 2021. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1051774/us-participation-in-fitness-sports-by-generation/
- Gen Z and millennials most likely to go vegan or vegetarian to help the planet – study. Published Sept. 2021. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/1484740/gen-z-millennials-vegan-vegetarian-save-planet
- Today’s consumers reveal the future of healthcare. Published Feb. 2019. Accessed Jan. 2022. https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/health/todays-consumers-reveal-future-healthcare
