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One in Four Teen Girls Infected with an STD

A new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in four (26 percent) of girls between 14 and 19 years of age in the United States have at least one sexually-transmitted disease (STD). African-American girls experienced the highest prevalence rate with nearly half (48 percent) infected, compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-Americans.

Human papillomavirus (HPV), a risk factor for cervical cancer, was identified in 18 percent of the girls. Less common were chlamydia (4 percent), trichomoniasis (2.5 percent) and herpes simplex virus (2 percent).

The study, presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference, was based on an analysis of a nationally-representative sample of 838 girls who participated in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In the study, teens were tested for the four STDs

All Children Should Get Vaccinated Against Flu

The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that all children, not just those under 5, should get vaccinated against the flu. Only infants younger than 6 month and those with serious egg allergies are exempted from the recommendation.

Previously, flu shots had been recommended for those considered most at risk for the flu, including children age 6 months to 5 years, adults 50 and older, and those with weakened immune systems.

Children between 5 and 18 are more likely than others to come down with the flu, but they tend not to get as sick. Only about 25 to 50 of the estimated 36,000 deaths per year from the flu are attributed to this age group.

Among the reasons for the expanded recommendation is that giving flu shots to children may reduce their spreading the illness to adults and the elderly and may also reduce parents' lost work days due to the need to stay home with a sick child.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), which provides vaccination guidelines to doctors and hospitals, normally accepts the recommendation of he Advisory Committee.

Tween Dating on the Rise

About one-half of tweens are currently in-or have been in-a romantic relationship with a member of the opposite sex, according to the Tween and Teen Dating Violence and Abuse Survey from the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Liz Claiborne, Inc. More than one in three (37%) of younger tweens 11-12 say they have been in a relationship.

The survey of 1,043 tweens between 11 and 14 years of age also revealed:

Half of the tweens in relationships reported that they know friends who are verbally abused;
Nearly 30 percent thought having a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship meant having oral sex or sexual intercourse;
One in five students said their friends are victims of dating violence;
Only half say they know the warning signs of hurtful relationship.

In response, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Liz Claiborne, Inc. have launched www.loveisrespect.org, a 24-hour national web-based and telephone hotline to help teens 13-18 who are in abusive dating relationships. Since 1991, Liz Claiborne Inc. has operated a Love Is Not Abuse Program www.loveisnotabuse.com, and offers a free "Love Is Not Abuse" curriculum to schools.

PE and Physical Activity in Childhood Promotes Healthy Adult Weight

A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University suggests that children who participate in daily physical education classes and leisure-time physical activity are less likely to become overweight as adults. Researchers surveyed more than 3,300 children in grades 8-12 about their physical activity in school and out of school. The results indicated that students' odds of being overweight adults dropped by 5 percent for each weekday they participated in physical education. Students who participated in daily physical education classes reduced their risk of being overweight in adulthood by 28 percent.

Some leisure-time physical activities were more closely linked to adult weight than others. Students who roller-skated, skateboarded or cycled more than four times per week reduced their chance of becoming an overweight adult by 48 percent. Those who participated in extracurricular sports three or four times a week experienced a 20 percent reduction in risk. On the other hand, jogging, dancing and gymnastics had no significant impact on the risk of becoming an overweight adult.

The study may be found in the January 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Teens and Cars: A Sometimes Deadly Combination

Riding in a car with a new teen driver on a high speed road while not wearing a seat belt are the three biggest risk factors for dying in a car crash among youth 8 to 17, according to a new study in the March issue of Archive of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Car crashes remain the leading cause of death for this age group.

The study examined national data on serious car crashes between 2000 and 2005. About 2.5 million young people 8 to 17 were involved in serious crashes during that time and 9,807 died.

More than half of those who died (54%) were riding with a teen drive. More than three-quarters of the deaths occurred on roads with speed limits above 45 mph. Nearly two-thirds of those who died were not wearing seat belts.

Other factors that contributed to the death rate among passengers included drivers who had consumed alcohol, male teen drivers, and driving on weekends.