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Teenagers' use of alcohol, drugs can be carried into adulthood
Teenagers are more likely to become addicted to cigarette smoking
Biological changes can lead to tired
teenagers
US Teenagers Most Obese In A World Trying To Catch Up
Teenagers' use of alcohol, drugs can be carried into adulthood
Los Angeles Times
Research has shown that adults who established drug and alcohol habits during adolescence are three times more likely to become alcoholics and drug addicts by middle age.
"The foundation for later substance use is set for most people by the time they finish high school," said Alicia Merline, a University of Michigan psychologist who studied men and women who graduated from high school between 1977 and 1983.
Merline and her colleagues found that those who drank heavily in school were three times more likely to drink heavily at age 35 than those who were high school teetotalers.
Those who had tried marijuana in school were eight times more likely to be using marijuana at 35 than those who hadn't tried it by graduation.
The report was published in January's American Journal of Public Health. It was based on responses from 7,541 people to the Monitoring the Future study conducted at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Teenagers are more likely to become addicted to cigarette smoking
WVEC
Research in rats indicates it may be easier for teens to become addicted to cigarettes than adults.
"The more nicotine you take as a teenage, the more likely you are to become a smoker. What smoking does for you is it kills you," said Dr. George Koob with Scripps Research Institute.
Earlier research suggested that teenagers do experience nicotine dependence.
Researchers at Scripps Research Institute studied nicotine withdrawal in both adolescent and adult rats. They found that adolescent rats don't display signs of nicotine withdrawal.
"Whatever nicotine does initially to the organism, it has less of the negative effects in adolescents and in teenagers and more of the positive effects. As a result, it's much easier for teenagers to smoke more and more," Dr. Koob said.
An estimated 6,000 children under age 18 light up for the first time every day.
Biological changes can lead to tired teenagers
The Daily News
Researchers have discovered an internal biological clock that guides the sleep-wake cycle in teens.
The adolescent body secretes the sleep-related hormone, melatonin, about an hour later than it does in younger children and adults, which keeps adolescents alert at night. Secretion also turns off later in the morning, so it is harder for teens to wake up.
Mary Carskadon, a professor of psychology at Brown University, has been researching the sleep patterns of teens for twenty years. She discovered that the change in sleep patterns is not a choice but based on biological needs. Because of this, she believes that teens are not getting enough sleep.
Chronically sleepy adolescents are plagued with delayed reaction times and decreased attention abilities. What's more, nationwide, drivers aged 15 to 24 cause more than 1,500 drowsiness-related fatal accidents each year.
Some researchers suggest that school starting times be changed. Experts in the field suggest a school day that begins at 9:30 or 10 a.m.
In the meantime, adolescents and parents can develop strategies for better sleep habits. Dimming the lights at night, staying away from caffeine and nicotine, catching up on sleep on the weekends, and physical activity can help. Teens should also avoid sleeping with TV, radio or computers flickering in their bedroom.
US Teenagers Most Obese In A World Trying To Catch Up
Fitcommerce.com
The toll of fast food, high carbs, and a sedentary lifestyle brought on by autos, computers, and video games has taken its toll on advanced societies. The byproduct is obesity, which increases illness and shortens lives. But the real toll is on our teens. Our girls, heavily judged by appearances, are particularly hit hard by the obesity epidemic . The trend is beginning to show that it's not just an American problem any more, but a worldwide one.
The cause is as obvious as the noses on our faces. A generation ago, mothers made their kids go outside and play. That meant baseball, roller skating, hop scotch, biking, or just running in the tall grass. Today it's video game and full length movies on dvd's with surround sound. There were balanced meals with salads now it's MacDonald's with French fries. It's a challenge of epic proportions.
It was recently reported that teenagers in the U.S. have higher rates of obesity than those in 14 other industrialized countries, including France and Germany. Among American 15-year-olds, 15% of girls and nearly 14% of boys were obese, and 31% of girls and 28% of boys were more modestly overweight. These numbers are two to three times greater than the nearest obese countries.
The heaviest countries, based on data from 15-year-olds, also included Greece, Portugal, Israel, Ireland and Denmark.
The findings are based on a study in 15 countries in 1997 and 1998 led by Inge Lissau, a researcher at the National Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was published in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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