February 11, 2009 9:34 PM
Diagnosing Teen Violence
One in four youths have used a gun or knife or have been in a situation where someone was injured by a weapon in the past year, according to a large national study of adolescents.
The survey funded by 18 federal agencies and analyzed by researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School also found that teen-agers who are failing school and "hanging out" unsupervised with friends are at the highest risk of a number of dangerous behaviors.
But it also said that behavior such as smoking, drinking, premarital sex and acts of violence cannot necessarily be correlated to youngsters' racial and economic backgrounds.
"While we see racial and ethnic differences across all the behaviors we studied, they tell us little about what causes these differences," Dr. Robert Blum, principal investigator of the study, said Thursday. "They can also lead us to falsely believe that these problems are unique to minority groups, and to ignore the fact that large numbers of white teens are involved in risky behaviors."
Other recent research, including a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study issued in June, has found that drug and cigarette use among high school students increased during the 1990s, but fewer teens are having sex and those who do are more likely to use condoms.
For the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, researchers surveyed 10,000 students ages 12 to 17.
"These findings tell us that if we want to help our children avoid dangerous behaviors, we need to find out what's going on in their lives," Surgeon General David Satcher said Thursday in a videotaped address to reporters. "Parents should encourage teens to be involved in supervised activities, such as mentoring programs, after-school programs, sports, school clubs and community service projects."
One in 10 teens surveyed said they drink weekly, and one in 12 seventh- and eighth-graders say they drink two to three times a month, according to the study. Consumption was the same for girls and boys.
The proportio of students who said they had had intercourse ranged from fewer than one of five seventh- and eighth-graders to almost two of three juniors and seniors.
"How young people do at school and what they do with their free time are the most important determinants for every risky behavior we studied — regardless of whether they are rich or poor, white or black or Hispanic, or come from one- or two-parent families," Blum said.
By DAVID HO
The survey funded by 18 federal agencies and analyzed by researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School also found that teen-agers who are failing school and "hanging out" unsupervised with friends are at the highest risk of a number of dangerous behaviors.
But it also said that behavior such as smoking, drinking, premarital sex and acts of violence cannot necessarily be correlated to youngsters' racial and economic backgrounds.
"While we see racial and ethnic differences across all the behaviors we studied, they tell us little about what causes these differences," Dr. Robert Blum, principal investigator of the study, said Thursday. "They can also lead us to falsely believe that these problems are unique to minority groups, and to ignore the fact that large numbers of white teens are involved in risky behaviors."
Other recent research, including a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study issued in June, has found that drug and cigarette use among high school students increased during the 1990s, but fewer teens are having sex and those who do are more likely to use condoms.
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"These findings tell us that if we want to help our children avoid dangerous behaviors, we need to find out what's going on in their lives," Surgeon General David Satcher said Thursday in a videotaped address to reporters. "Parents should encourage teens to be involved in supervised activities, such as mentoring programs, after-school programs, sports, school clubs and community service projects."
One in 10 teens surveyed said they drink weekly, and one in 12 seventh- and eighth-graders say they drink two to three times a month, according to the study. Consumption was the same for girls and boys.
The proportio of students who said they had had intercourse ranged from fewer than one of five seventh- and eighth-graders to almost two of three juniors and seniors.
"How young people do at school and what they do with their free time are the most important determinants for every risky behavior we studied — regardless of whether they are rich or poor, white or black or Hispanic, or come from one- or two-parent families," Blum said.
By DAVID HO
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