For Millennials, healthcare is about "looking good"

Appearance matters more than you think for the Millennial generation, who want to look after themselves not for health reasons, but in order to stay physically attractive.

Looking good is the main reasons most Millennials pay attention to their health and medical care, says a new study by Aon Hewitt.

The 2014 Consumer Health Mindset report, a joint survey of more than 2,700 US employees and their dependents, found 55% of Millennials' main motivation for taking care of their health is "to look good," rather than "to avoid illness."

Because of this, the survey stressed the need for employers to tailor their well-being strategy to show how poor health can impact an individual's energy and appearance.

ALSO READ: The amazing benefits of healthy staffBosses may be key to employees' health

This was especially because it found Millennials put a lower priority on medical care than other generations.

About half (54%) of Millennial respondents stated they have had a physical in the last 12 months, compared to 60% of those belonging to Generation X and 73% of Baby Boomers.

Millennials were also less likely to participate in a healthy eating/weight management programmes (21%), as opposed to Generation X (23%) and Baby Boomers (28%).

"Given their younger age, most Millennials are relatively healthy, so they may not feel a sense of urgency to go to the doctor regularly or eat a well-balanced diet," Ray Baumruk, employee research leader at Aon Hewitt, said. "However, the lack of health prevention and maintenance when they're young may lead to greater health risks as they get older. Employers should communicate the importance of participating in health related activities now to avoid serious health issues later in life."

RELATED READS:Here's proof Millennials are "misunderstood"Trashing the myths about Millennials

Interestingly, despite their relative lack of action around prevention, Aon Hewitt's analysis concluded Millennials are the most likely generation to embrace support from employers in their overall health and well-being.

More than half (52%) said "living or working in a healthy environment" is influential to their personal health, compared to 42% of Generation X and 35% of Baby Boomers.

Direct managers were found to have a crucial role to play in the health of Millennials, as 53% said they are open to having their supervisors play an active role in encouraging them to get and stay healthy ( versus 47% of Generation X and 41% of Baby Boomers who stated the same ).

Image: Shutterstock