Ed. Note: Kristin Davie is finding therapy writing about her job hunting skills and prospects.  Being without job brings all sorts of new realities to recent college graduates like Kristie.  Realities which are called “worries”–welcome to the world of adulthood, 2009, Kristin.

By Kristin Davie, special to WWDS

Over the past several months, a barrage of percentages and figures has flooded the various media outlets and more and more I find myself to be a statistic.

For example, I’m among the 50% of Americans who admit they regularly sneak food into movie theaters to avoid the high prices of snack foods. I’m also counted in the 90% who depend on alarm clocks to wake us and the 69% who eat the cake before the frosting. Let’s not forget the 90% who believe in divine retribution.

Seriously, though, I’ve never been a fan of numbers (I did major in Communications, after all) and I’ve notoriously favored small schools to avoid being treated as one.  Lately, I have even more reason for my disdain.
According to report by Commonwealth Fund, I’m also included in the amount of young adults who are uninsured. With the unemployment rate currently at 15 percent among 20-24 year olds (an increase from 8.2 percent in 2007) it’s easy to see why.
Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis suggests that, “because young adults face so many transitions—graduation, job changes, and in this economy, unemployment—they are especially vulnerable to the risks of being uninsured.”
The report went on to say that while my generation accounts for just 17 percent of the under-65 population, we comprise nearly 30 percent of all uninsured Americans, with one-third of college graduates experiencing a period of insurance limbo in the year following commencement.
That’s not good news, especially when you consider these tiny tidbits:
•    15 percent of young adults have a chronic health problem such as asthma
•    More than half weigh more than what is considered to be a healthy weight (quite easy to do when you spend most of your time on the couch looking for a job)
•    2.7 million women in this age group give birth
•    Young adults have the highest incidence of injury related visits to the emergency room of any age group (holler)

Admittedly, at first I ignored my mother’s concerns about my loss of health insurance.  As time goes on though, I’m beginning to worry, as I realize that I may have to ignore my contempt for numbers and settle on becoming one myself at a large firm- just so I can make some figures of my own.