Teen Health

Internet Time Boosts Teens Social And Technical Skills

Kathleen Blanchard RN — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:23:32 -0600

A large study from the MacArthur Foundation shows it is no waste of time for teens to spend time on the Internet. The foundation, through funding from the digital media and learning initiative, has set aside $50 million to study how digital media affects our youth. The results are very positive.

Helping Teens Cope With Violence, Disasters

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:41:17 -0600

Disasters cause major damage. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were examples. They occurred in 2005. Many homes were destroyed. Whole communities were damaged. Many survivors were displaced. There were also many deaths.

Trauma is also caused by major acts of violence. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were examples. Another example was the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado. The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was also an example. These acts claim lives. They also threaten our sense of security.

Drug Use, Suicide Attempts Decreased In New Mexico High School

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:20:45 -0600

The New Mexico Department of Health and the Public Education Department released results today from the 2007 Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey that surveyed about 11,300 high school students across the state about healthy and risky behaviors. The survey found several positive trends in risk behaviors, including decreases in drinking and driving, suicide attempts, alcohol and drug use and television viewing from 2003 to 2007.

School Resources Help Immigrant Children Succeed

ruzik_tuzik — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:16:56 -0600

Children of immigrants who enter school with low math and reading skills have a better chance of catching up with their peers if they attend a school with high-performing students, well-supported teachers and services to families of English as a second language (ESL) children, according to a new study.

Supporting Online Medical Records For Teens

ruzik_tuzik — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:16:10 -0600

A new review of existing research and expert opinions suggest that there are many benefits to allowing adolescents to review their own health information online and to send messages to their doctors.

Few teens have online health access, however, and questions exist about privacy and the kinds of information that parents will be able to view.

Bullies Enjoy Seeing Someone Else In Pain

Toni Brayer MD — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:01:45 -0600

A new study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reports bullies may enjoy seeing someone else in pain. Dr. Benjamin Lahey, a psychologist at the University of Chicago was the lead researcher in a study published in Biological Psychology. By watching the brain scans as teens viewed others getting hurt, they saw changes that showed they got pleasure out of seeing pain inflicted on another person.

Teen Boys Use Alcohol For Sex

hareyan — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:58:36 -0600

A new study shows that boys use alcohol to get girls to have sex with them. Somebody give me some grant money to show the already obvious about teens, alcohol and sexual health.

The study looked at sexual attitudes of 14 to 16-year-olds and researchers say it showed big differences in the way boys and girls look at sex.

Teens Drug Addiction Requires Our Adamant Attention

hareyan — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:32:05 -0600

Drug use among teens has reached epidemic proportions. No matter how vigilant you are, your teens will definitely be exposed to drugs at school, the very place you think should be a safe environment. Mrs. Reagan’s ‘Just say no to drugs’ campaign was a complete failure. The truth is that teens perceive adults as old fuddy-duddies that don’t know their head from a hole in the ground. Parents, try as they may, face an uphill war in safe guarding their children from the ravaging effects of drugs.

TV sexual content linked to teen pregnancy

hareyan — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:56:10 -0600

Teenagers who have high levels of exposure to television programs that contain sexual content are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy over the following three years as their peers who watch few such shows, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study, published in the November edition of the journal Pediatrics, is the first to establish a link between teenagers' exposure to sexual content on TV and either pregnancies among girls or responsibility for pregnancies among boys.

ER doctors should send young victims of violence for 1 on 1 counseling

hareyan — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:12:40 -0600

Mentoring youths, counseling parents can reduce youth violence, researchers say.

A study of 113 children and teens physically victimized by peers concludes that one-on-one mentoring about how to safely avoid conflict and diffuse threats makes them far less likely to become victims again if guidance is initiated in the immediate aftermath of the attack.