HHS HealthBeat (August 17, 2012)

Risky teens

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

Teens – drinking, swinging fists. Behaviors like these can be bad for a teen’s health, in the short and long term. Here are the numbers. Three in four high school students say they’ve drunk alcohol; more than one in three in the past month. One in three has been in a physical fight during the past year.

Dr. Danice Eaton is a research scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“High school boys are most likely to have been in a physical fight. On the other hand, girls are most likely to have seriously considered attempting suicide, and to have drunk alcohol.”

Parents can talk to their kids about the risks.

“They should also discuss with their teens the importance of choosing friends who do not act in dangerous or unhealthy ways. And parents should make a habit of knowing where there teen is, and whether an adult is present.”

Learn more at healthfinder.gov. 

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.

Last revised: August 17, 2012