Adolescent Health News and Research

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Early menstruation is not by itself a risk factor for later obesity

Although overweight girls are more likely to start their periods earlier than their peers who are at or below normal weight, early menstruation is not by itself a risk factor for later obesity, according to a long-term study released this week.

13 Aug 2005

Teens more likely to have good friends if they have a warm relationship with their parents

While parents often worry about the influence peers have on their adolescent children, a new study indicates that they can play a role in helping their teens choose 'good' friends.

13 Aug 2005

Family-based treatments are effective for substance abuse

Family-based treatments are effective for substance abuse and conduct disorders in children and adolescents, according to a new, ten-year research review released this week. The treatment also helps reduce the behavior problems associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and shows promise in treating depression and anxiety.

11 Aug 2005

Experts gather in the fields of childhood and adolescent mental-health problems

Renowned experts in the fields of childhood and adolescent mental-health problems will gather in July to discuss new and effective treatments for a wide-range of mental illnesses affecting children and teens.

30 Jun 2005

Acting violently could be protective against the effects of community violence

Researchers have known for some time that violent adolescents tend to become more depressed over time than other adolescents. And young people living in violent neighborhoods also are more subject to depression. But violent adolescent boys who also live in unsafe neighborhoods where they witness violent acts do not appear to get as depressed.

20 Jun 2005

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have chronic sleep deprivation

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have a common ailment: chronic sleep deprivation. But some tired teens may actually have a medical condition such as depression, insomnia, narcolepsy or sleep apnea, warns a new report in Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

Virginity pledges don't reduce teen sexual activity

Adolescents who take public virginity pledges are no less likely to engage in various forms of sexual activity than adolescents who do not take these pledges, a recent study of teen behavior found.

25 Apr 2005

Adolescents not receiving health counseling

Fewer than 50 percent of adolescent medical checkups include preventive health counseling, despite the demonstrated effectiveness of doctor-delivered advice in promoting healthy behavior as well as reducing risky behavior in teens.

21 Apr 2005

NHS must overhaul its approach to adolescent health

The NHS must overhaul its approach to adolescent health if it is to meet the health needs of young people in the UK, says a paper in the BMJ.

19 Apr 2005

Young people believe oral sex less likely to have negative social and emotional consequences

Young people believe that oral sex is less risky to their health and emotions than vaginal sex, more prevalent among teens their age and more acceptable among their peers. They are also more likely to try oral sex, according to a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study published in the April 2005 issue of Pediatrics.

4 Apr 2005

$Why do black South Africans have a low hip fracture rate despite low calcium intake?$

Why do black South Africans have a low hip fracture rate despite low calcium intake?

After Nelson Mandela was released from prison February 11, 1990, all children born in the great Johannesburg area were enrolled in a 20-year longitudinal study. Officially known as “Birth to Twenty,” the study and its 3,273 youth, are colloquially referred to as “Mandela’s Children.” It’s the largest and longest running study of child and adolescent health and development in Africa, and one of the few large-scale longitudinal studies in the world.

3 Apr 2005

STD incidents amongst students who pledge viginity

Hannah Brückner, assistant professor of sociology at Yale University and Peter Bearman, professor of sociology at Columbia University, in new research say young adults who make virginity pledges as adolescents are just as likely to be infected with sexually transmitted diseases as those who do not take virginity pledges, and that virginity pledges may even encourage higher risk sexual behavior.

21 Mar 2005

Virginity pledges may even encourage higher risk sexual behavior among young adults

Young adults who take virginity pledges as adolescents are as likely to be infected with sexually transmitted diseases as those who do not take virginity pledges, Yale and Columbia University researchers report in the March 18 issue of Journal of Adolescent Health.

21 Mar 2005

What risk factors influence teenagers to start experimenting with marijuana?

Involvement with other substances (alcohol and cigarettes), delinquency and school problems have been established as the three most important risk factors in identifying teenagers at risk of continued involvement with marijuana by a Cardiff University scientist, in collaboration with a colleague in the USA.

16 Mar 2005

Smoking prevention programs in junior high or high school have little influence on whether teens choose to light up

"Our study shows there is little evidence to suggest that existing school-based smoking prevention programs produce long-term reductions in smoking prevalence among youth," says the study's first author, Sarah Wiehe, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of pediatrics, Division of Children's Health Services Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

3 Mar 2005

Natural mentoring relationships positively impact teens

Natural mentoring relationships positively impact teens, but these relationships do not meet all the needs of at-risk youth, according to a study by University of Illinois at Chicago researchers. The study appears in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

2 Mar 2005

Several causes for concern regarding children's health in general practice in Britain

An editorial in this weeks BMJ highlights several causes for concern regarding children's health in general practice in Britain. Once greatly admired, the British model of general practice raises concern over the future of children's health.

27 Feb 2005

Sociologists create a love map for an entire high school

For the first time, sociologists have mapped the romantic and sexual relationships of an entire high school over 18 months, providing evidence that these adolescent networks may be structured differently than researchers previously thought.

25 Jan 2005

New publication on adolescent health

The Pan American Health Organization has just released a new publication on adolescent health and positive behavior change greatly enhances the knowledge base on this important public health issue. It presents the firstever systematic collection and reporting of the application of behavioral change theories and models specifically to adolescents.

11 Jan 2005

Diagnosis of tuberculosis in young children can be confirmed by a straightforward sputum test

Diagnosis of tuberculosis is difficult in infants and young children and can be complicated by HIV infection. Heather Zar (School of Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa) and colleagues studied 250 children aged 1 month to 5 years who were admitted for suspected pulmonary tuberculosis in Cape Town. Sputum induction and gastric lavage were done on three consecutive days according to a standard procedure.

7 Jan 2005