The perception is that 20-somethings are youthful and robust, in the peak of their health.

But a report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that young adults have their fair share of health woes.

A third of 18- to 29-year-olds, a demographic the insurance industry calls “young invincibles,” are cigarette smokers. A quarter are obese, as the rates among young adults have tripled in the past three decades. Nearly two-thirds of young adults reported not having regular leisure-time physical activity.

“At that age, people tend to be healthy but take it for granted,” said Dr. Jennifer Shu, CNNhealth’s Living Well expert. “Diabetes and heart disease start at much earlier ages now. The obesity and cigarettes can impact how young you might be when you get a serious illness.”

And when young adults get seriously ill, they can find themselves in a bind: A third of people ages 20 to 24 are uninsured. They are too old to qualify for their parents’ insurance, looking for work or in a job that doesn’t provide health insurance.

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Wesleyan Resources: Health Services offers Wesleyan students health care for illness, injury and well visits and coordinates the university’s student insurance plan. Call 860.685.2470 with questions.

• choosing from an array of insurance and other health care benefit options offered by your employer (or having to buy your own insurance)
• finding a primary care physician, a dentist, a gynecologist, and other specialists (maybe even in a new city)
• perhaps coordinating health benefits with your partner
• considering your needs for the long term, as you decide whether to have a family, how you want to live when retired, etc.

It’s complicated, but not impossible to learn. You are smart enough to earn a Wesleyan degree; you CAN figure this out!.  Aetna Insurance and the Financial Planning Association have developed a free booklet to help you get savvy about your health benefits.  Called “Navigating Your Health Benefits for Dummies“, you can order yours free from PlanForYourHealth.com. Check it out!