Youth
Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) 2003 Results
According to The Center for Disease Control the
percentage of U.S. teenagers in grades 9 through 12 who reported
having had sex remained stable between 2001 and 2003 at 45.6%
and 46.7% respectively. The study also found
that teen condom use during last intercourse has increased
almost 17%. In addition, the percentage of teens who reported
having had sex with more than four partners in their lifetime
dropped from 19% in 1991 to 14% in 2003. Visit
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm to access the
full report.
Adolescents in Many Countries Experience Violence, but U.S. Has
More
A study reported in the June 2004 issue of Archives of Pediatrics
and Adolescent Medicine found that U.S. teenagers are no more prone
to violence than their counterparts in four other countries (Ireland,
Israel, Portugal and Sweden), but violence among teens in the U.S.
is more likely to result in death. Visit http://www.healthinschools.org/2004/jun08_alert.asp to
read more about this report.
2004
Kids Count Data Book
The Annie
E. Casey Foundation recently released the 2004 Kids Count Data Book.
Kids Count is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children
in the U.S. The Kids Count website focuses on an interactive presentation
of data from the annual Data Book, the signature product of the
Kids
Count
initiative. The Data Book is made up of ten key measures that comprise
an index of child well-being used to rank states and supplemental
data
on
education, health, and economic conditions for each state. The
full report can be found online at: www.aecf.org/kidscount/databook2004.
New Government
Health Website Launched for Girls
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’, Office on Women’s
Health (OWH) is committed to increasing overall health and fitness
awareness as well as the development of healthy lifestyles among
girls. To meet these goals, OWH has created a new and improved
web site for girls, www.4girls.gov.
Parents
Said to Lack Accurate Information on Condoms, Contraceptives
The Alan Guttmacher Institute recently reported that substantial
proportions of parents underestimate the effectiveness of condoms
for preventing
pregnancy
and sexually transmitted disease, and three-fourths of parents
doubt that teenagers are capable of using condoms correctly. Also,
only one in four parents thought their teens could use oral contraceptives
correctly. Access “Parents’ Beliefs About Condoms and Oral
Contraceptives: Are They Medically Accurate?” in the Perspectives
on Sexual and Reproductive Health March/April 2004 issue,
by visiting http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3605004.html.
New Publication
on Parent-Child Connectedness (PCC)
ETR
Associates has recently published a new work on the protective
effects of strong emotional bonds, or “connectedness” between
parents and children. The work is a review of the current body
of research literature titled: “Parent-Child Connectedness:
Implications for Research, Interventions and Positive Impacts
on Adolescent Health.” The 86-page document is available
for free by downloading it from the ReCAPP website at http://www.etr.org/recapp/research/litreview.pdf
AED Launches HIV/AIDS Anti-Stigma Website
With
support from the Ford Foundation, The Center on AIDS & Community
Health at the Academy for Educational Development created a website
to focus on HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. Visit www.hivaidsstigma.org to
learn more about this important initiative and the resources available
to combat the problem.
Make Time to Listen, Take Time to Talk About Bullying
This multi-media Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) initiative is designed to provide
practical guidance
to parents
and caregivers
about
how to talk with their children for so they are better able
to guide their children toward more positive, skill-enhancing
activities and friendships. For information about and free
support materials for the 15+ Make Time To Listen, Take Time
To Talk…About
Bullying campaign, including the PSA’s, call 1-800-789-2647
or visit http://www.mentalhealth.org/15plus/aboutbullying.asp.
Stop
Bullying Now!
This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Campaign was
launched on Monday, March 1, 2004 by Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona
and HRSA Administrator Betty James Duke. The Campaign
is organized around a website, www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov.
The purpose of the site
is to engage tweens, youth between the ages
of 9 and 13. Therefore, informative sections for
adults and our partnering organizations are found under the tab,
What Adults Can Do. The
Resource Kit is under the first How You Can Help menu.
New Report on STDs Among Youth
Our Voices,
Our Lives, Our Futures—released
in February, 2004 by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill contains the
first
national estimates on new infections among Americans ages 15-24
for eight major STDs: chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis
B, HIV/AIDS, HPV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. It also outlines
strategies that can help to stem the STD epidemic in the U.S.,
drawing on the latest research as well as the experiences of
those who will be most affected—youth. Download a PDF of
the report at http://www.jomc.unc.edu/youthandSTDs/ourvoicesreport.pdf
TV Can Make a Difference
A
new report from the RAND corporation shows that teenagers
in the United States absorb sex education messages from television
programs, and watching and discussing television programs with
an adult reinforces the sex education messages. Visit www.RAND.org to
learn more.
Parents
Support Comprehensive Sex Education – Poll Shows
A nationwide poll conducted of lower-income parents and
guardians released October 1 by the Sexuality Information and
Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) found that parents and guardians
overwhelmingly
support comprehensive sex education programs that teach young
people all aspects of sexuality, including how to use birth control
to
prevent unintended pregnancy and how to protect against sexually
transmitted diseases. Visit http://www.siecus.org/
to view the full results.
What
Parents Can Learn About Mental and Emotional Problems Among Teens
Washington, DC-based research organization, Child Trends, recently
released a research brief entitled, “Promoting Positive
Mental and Emotional Health in Teens: Some Lessons from Research.” They
have also developed an interactive web-based component. Visit www.childtrends.org
to learn more.
Documentary
Film
Hidden
Crisis: Women and AIDS in America, produced for the Kaiser Family
Foundation by Rory Kennedy and Moxie Firecracker
Films, examines the growing impact of HIV/AIDS on women in the
United States. The film profiles three women living with the
disease, illustrating the challenges that particularly affect women
with
HIV. Visit www.kff.org for
more details.
Elementary-school
Program Reduces Pregnancy, STDs, in Young Adults
An elementary-school program designed to promote social competency
and academic success has had some unexpected long-term results:
reduced rates of pregnancy, birth and STDs for participants by
age
21. The program, developed by University of Washington (UW) researchers,
had no sex-education component. The study leader is J. David Hawkins,
social work professor and head of the UW Social Development Research
Group. A report on the intervention program’s impact is published
in the May 14 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
(Vol.156; No.5:438-47).
NIH
Parenting Guide
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has
developed a parenting booklet. Order Adventures in Parenting
for free by calling 1-800-370-2943 or online at www.nichd.nih.gov.