WLT focuses on young adults in the early (18–25), middle (26–32), and late (33–39) stages.WLT assumes that if young adults intentionally adopt, maintain, and continue a healthy lifestyle in the early years of life, they increase their likelihood of preventing non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes in the later years of life, thereby improving their health, well-being, and quality of life.
According to Budreviciute A, Damiati S, et al. (2020), non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are medical conditions characterized by long duration and slow progression. Most NCDs are non-infectious and result from genetic, physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors. ” Chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention, limit activities of daily living, or both.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO: Key facts 2025), “Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) killed at least 43 million people in 2021, equivalent to 75% of non-pandemic-related deaths globally. In 2021, 18 million people died from an NCD before age 70 years; 82% of these premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Cardiovascular diseases account for most NCD deaths, or at least 19 million deaths in 2021, followed by cancers (10 million), chronic respiratory diseases (4 million), and diabetes (over 2 million, including kidney disease deaths caused by diabetes). These four groups of diseases account for 80% of all premature NCD deaths.
“Three in four American adults have at least one chronic condition, and over half have two or more chronic conditions. Among younger adults ages 18–34, 60% have at least one condition. Among midlife adults ages 35–64, more than 75% have at least one condition…Chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.” (cdc.gov/chronic diseases)
The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) (WHO: NCDs,2025)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO, CRDs, 2025), Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) affect the airways and other structures of the lungs. Some of the most common are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension. In addition to tobacco smoke, other risk factors include air pollution, occupational chemicals and dusts, and frequent lower respiratory infections during childhood. CRDs are not curable; however, various treatments that open the air passages and ease shortness of breath can help control symptoms and improve daily life for people living with these conditions.
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